Simple Kind of Man
by brokenheadboards
Summary: Bella is a by the book lawyer who sees the world in black and white. When she meets Jasper, the only legal representation in small town Texas, will he make her see beauty in shades of gray? Jasper/Bella. AH/AU. OOC. Entry for “For the Love of Jasper”.
1. Chapter 1

"**For the Love of Jasper" One-Shot Contest **

**Title: Simple Kind of Man  
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**Pen name: brokenheadboards (collab between AHelm and ilsuocantante)  
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**Existing work: N/A  
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**Primary Players: Bella and Jasper **

**Disclaimer: We don't own these characters. Unfortunately. If we did, there would have been a lot less Holy Crows and a lot more What the motherfucks. Just saying. Neither do we own the lyrics used; big ups to Lynyrd Skynyrd for them. Please don't sue us, we love Alabama. Also, no offense to anyone in Blessing, TX.**

**To see other entries in the "For the Love of Jasper" contest, please visit the C2:  
www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/For_the_Love_of_Jasper_Contest/72564/**

_AN: We like Bella/Jasper, and would consider continuing this lovely little one shot, because Jasper the Lawyer if pretty damn hot. Leave us some love and put us on alert!_

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_**BPOV**

I stepped off of the tiniest plane I'd ever had the misfortune of flying in onto the tarmac in Victoria, Texas. It was so hot the air was visible; rippling just over the blacktop, turning the road into water with its waves. With a heavy sigh and sweaty palms, I raised the handles on the twin suitcases that housed my life and trudged toward the man leaning against the shiny black SUV. He waved and walked toward me.

"Bella, it's so good to see you. Thank you for coming," he said warmly, taking the suitcases from my hand and wrapping me in a friendly embrace.

"It's good to see you, too, Sam," I said, taking him in. His smile was genuine, but there was a tension around his usually sparkling brown eyes that was telling. "How are you doing?"

He sighed, placing a hand on the small of my back and ushering me toward the car. I was grateful; the heat was overwhelming and I felt as though I were sucking in dry flame with every inhale.

"It's been hard, Bells, I can't say it hasn't," he said, once we were in the car and thankfully, bathing in the deliciously cool air conditioning. "I never meant for any of this to happen, and I feel horribly guilty... but at the same time... I'm so happy."

His tone was conflicted, but his genuine happiness shone through and, I can't deny, rubbed me the wrong way. I sighed. "We'll have to go through all of this officially, and obviously, when it comes to the proceedings I am completely in your corner... but Sam, how could you? I just don't understand. How could you do this to Leah? You two have been together _forever_."

He shot me a pained look; obviously he'd not anticipated my censure. He was one of my oldest friends, and while I was closer to him than to his wife, Leah, I'd practically grown up with the both of them in my hometown of Forks. They'd always been the constant of our group; even as children they'd been joined at the hip and when they'd officially gotten together as teenagers and later married after college, it had just seemed like a natural progression. I couldn't imagine either of them finding anything more _right_.

So when I'd gotten a call from Sam a few weeks ago telling me he and Leah were over and asking if I'd represent him in the divorce, I was shocked. When I'd asked why and he'd quietly admitted that he'd met someone else and cheated, I was fucking floored.

"Look, Bella, I'm not proud of what happened. I don't make any excuses for my actions. But, Leah and I haven't been happy for a long time. The spark was gone - hell, maybe it was never even there to begin with, I don't know..." he trailed off, rubbing one hand on the back of his neck to relieve the tension.

"But, Sam... regardless, you just can't go around breaking promises... _cheating_ for fuck's sake, just because you're unhappy. You could have easily have made the move to separate from Leah before hooking up with someone else. You made a promise to Leah when you married her; you should have respected that enough to wait." I knew my tone was unnecessarily harsh, but I couldn't stop it.

He pulled up to the curb in front of what I assumed was my hotel and turned toward me in his seat, regarding me sadly. "I know, Bella - in my mind, I know you're right. But my heart... when you fall in love, your heart just can't wait, Bella."

I wanted to snort at that smaltzy excuse, but luckily I found the strength to rein in the bitch. Right and wrong were black and white to me and there wasn't - there _shouldn't_ be - any gray area. Feelings could be subdued, put on hold until arrangements could be made. There was no excuse. I mean, that all-consuming, "I must touch you now or die" kind of lust was just romance novel nonsense. Who really feels so strongly that they forget right and wrong? No one. The fact was, Sam knew it was wrong and did it anyway. Because he _wanted_ to. He made a choice. These things didn't just happen - people _allowed_ them to happen.

And ok, I might have been projecting my own biases just a little bit - but that didn't mean I wasn't right.

I said goodbye to Sam in the lobby of my hotel, making arrangements to meet with him in the morning to go over the details of the split and what he hoped to gain in the divorce before we headed over to the opposing counsel's office in the afternoon for a meeting with Leah and her lawyer, a Jasper Whitlock, Esq.

What the fuck kind of name was Jasper Whitlock? Obviously this was a Boy Named Sue situation and his parents were ok with their kid getting beat to shit every day on the playground.

An older lady showed me to my room, babbling on about the hotel's history and whatever the fuck. I tuned her out, offering polite smiles and "uh huh"s whenever necessary. The hotel was what most people would probably refer to as quaint, but I privately regarded as Bum Fuck Egypt's answer to Motel Six.

Why the hell Sam and Leah had decided to move to Smalltown, USA shortly after their marriage, I'll never know. Sure, Sam had gotten his degree in agriculture and the land around here was supposed to be rich or something, but who the hell wanted to be a farmer in this day and age?

I'm pretty sure my exact response had been a sneered, "Dude, seriously?" when they'd informed us of their decision to move to Blessing, Texas nearly ten years before. I couldn't fathom why anyone would want to move to Texas in the first place, let alone Blessing; the town name conjuring images of women in Little House on the Prairie getups hosting ice cream socials after church. But even then, I knew they would be happy wherever they went, as long as they were together.

Obviously, my assumption then had been wrong.

I flopped back on the hotel bed. I needed to deal with my own issues before I saw Sam tomorrow. I needed to put whatever personal feelings I had about his actions aside so that I could represent him to the best of my ability and not let my own thoughts color the way I handled the case. Just because James cheated on me did not give me the right to judge Sam for cheating on his wife.

Okay, if I was being honest... I was pretty sure it _did_ give me the right to judge, but maybe not to vocalize said judgment.

James.

James and I had been together since my first year of law school at University of Washington. We met at a party one night and that had been that. He always said he took one look at me and had to have me. He was intense and driven, and our grades and successes had always been a bit of a competition between us. It urged me to be better in everything I did. He was possessive and passionate, and though at times it could be a little grating and oppressive, deep down I was always thankful for it. It showed me how much he loved me, how consumed he was with me. How else could I possibly be assured of his affections?

After graduation, we'd both been offered positions at the same firm. It seemed like a dream come true... until I was promoted to junior partner before him. Then everything seemed to slide downhill. His usual sarcastic wit turned caustic and biting; his intensity waned, replaced with an almost deliberate indifference.

And then, I found out about Victoria.

Apparently, in his angst, James had found solace in one of the firm's paralegals. Victoria, I'd be the first to admit, was fucking gorgeous; she was seriously stacked and had legs for days and some fucking sexy wild red hair.

I could absolutely, on an objective level, see why and how he would turn to her.

But inside, I was wrecked. I was angry and hurt and felt so fucking worthless and used.

He assured me it was a one time thing, that he'd just been so lost and lonely with my working so much and had given in to her seduction attempt. He told me it would never happen again, that he loved me, wanted me.

And I believed him. Or... I wanted it to be true so badly that I convinced myself into believing him. And when he proposed, I'd accepted, thinking that I would be able to forget, that I'd already forgiven. But, Sam's call had dredged up all the old feelings, and I could feel myself projecting the hurt I still felt but could not articulate to James onto Sam.

It wasn't right and I resolved to let go. I'd accepted James' promise that he would work his whole life to make it up to me, that he would love me forever. And in turn, I'd promised him to forgive and forget and move on, to make a life with him. In agreeing to take on Sam's case, I'd also entered into a promise with him.

I would not break my promises.

I met with Sam at the apartment he was renting the next morning. We sat at his wobbly kitchen table drinking coffee as he explained to me in minute detail the collapse of his marriage. How routine and habit had replaced comfort, how they scarcely spoke, and how their physical relationship had dwindled to nothing since the birth of their youngest. The need for her had been diluted with distraction and indifference.

He met Emily and everything had just clicked into place for him. He said he'd never felt there'd been a piece missing inside of him before, but the minute he'd latched eyes with hers, heard her voice, saw her laugh, it was like a the missing puzzle piece had filled an unknown void. He'd felt complete when before he hadn't even known he was less than whole. Though she'd been resistant due to the fact that he was married, eventually their love consumed them and they both gave in.

I tried not to scoff while the grown man in front of me spouted off flowery bullshit. I mean, seriously. Missing puzzle pieces, really? What a load of crap. He saw someone, wanted to fuck her, did, and the contrast between the routine of being with Leah and fucking someone new was appealing. The end. This whole soul mate BS was just ridiculous. He needed to own up to his shit and deal with it.

But of course, I couldn't say that. Neither could I condone, so I merely hid behind the mask of professionalism, asking him to clarify timelines and give me details on his discussions with Leah. I needed to know every detail in order to understand how bad this was going to be for him.

Apparently, it was going to be pretty fucking bad. Leah had, in Sam's words, "not taken it well."

"No fucking shit," escaped my mouth before I could stop it. He cringed. "I'm sorry, Sam. Please, go on."

He told me of Leah's anger and bitterness. Her intention to file for sole custody of the children is what had driven him to seek representation, when before he'd been willing to give her whatever she wanted in the divorce, knowing she deserved whatever he could give her from the marriage. But he wouldn't and couldn't give up his children, no matter how he had wronged their mother.

It was why he'd contacted me instead of someone local.

"I need the best, someone I know I can rely on," he told me urgently. "I know I can trust you do fix this for me, Bella. I know you'll be as invested in the outcome as I am, that it's not just a routine job for a paycheck for you."

_But no pressure or anything..._

And he was right; it did mean more to me. As much as I was judging the shit out of Sam for being a piece of shit husband, I knew he was a great father. I knew he was unfailingly responsible, I knew he was loving and fun and engaged - everything a father should be. And though he'd not treated Leah well, he'd didn't deserve to be deprived of his children. And they didn't deserve to be deprived of their father. I hoped we would be able to make Leah see through her anger and hurt to this truth, and that the proceedings would be able to go smoothly without the bitter custody battle that would surely come if she persisted.

"I'll do whatever it takes, Sam," I said sincerely, squeezing his hand. "I promise."

He let out a long breath, giving my hand a reciprocal squeeze. "Thank you, Bella. I know you will."

Soon after, we headed into town to meet with Leah and her lawyer. I straightened my clothing as we emerged from the car, making sure the black pencil skirt was as wrinkle free as possible and my white button down was tucked in properly. I had on a pair of what I liked to think of as my power shoes; they were tall and black and shiny and wearing them helped to play down the fact that I was only 5'2 and play up the fact that I was the bitch in charge of the show and wouldn't be taking no for answer.

Or so I liked to tell myself.

I mentally steeled myself to face Leah as we walked up to the building. I wasn't quite sure what her reaction to me would be, but I had to assume that because I'd agreed to represent Sam, it wasn't going to be very friendly. I had to prepare myself for that eventuality, and ready the quietly accepting professional mask.

What I hadn't prepared myself for was the size of Jasper Whitlock's office. It was... tiny. It looked like an old house renovated into an office building; there was a small entryway that led to what appeared to be a sitting room. Just beyond that, there was a room with a desk and two chairs, one of which held the seething form of Leah Uley. She glared at me, hatred and bitterness marring her once beautiful face. I flinched and quickly looked away, meeting the eyes of... Holy Hot Man, Attorney at Please Fuck Me Now.

I'd never had such a visceral reaction to someone's appearance before. He was just... _unf_. Slightly shaggy, dirty blonde hair framing a tanned face. A pair of deep, dark blue eyes and full lips that were just begging me to bite them. They were turned up in a slight smirk, whether in reaction to my blatant perusal or not, I didn't know, but it was a nice indication that I should probably roll my tongue back into my mouth and put my game face on.

I wrinkled my nose in seeming distaste and asked in the coolest voice possible, "Are you Jasper Whitlock?"

**JPOV **

Whitlock and Associates was actually a bit of a joke, seeing as it was really just me.

I guess you could call it wishful thinking, but I really hoped that one day, it would be an accurate statement.

I'd opened the office six months prior and worked my ass off to get where I was. I'd graduated with my law degree a year before and moved back to the tiny town I'd been born in, Blessing, Texas. There were less than a thousand people there, but my grandparents, who'd raised me, thanks to my absent mother and father, lived in Blessing and therefore, it was where my heart resided.

I'd gone away to college and worried the whole damn time I was gone. Were they alright? Did they need any help? They were the sweetest people you'd ever meet, and so proud of me pursuing my educational dreams. Upon my return home, Grandpa Ray had asked what I planned on doing, and when I told him I wanted to open a law office, he'd smiled knowingly and advised that there was a bank account they'd been saving in for my whole life, waiting for me. Immediately, I withdrew $20,000 as a down payment, went to the bank, finalized the small business loan and opened up shop. I was thrilled to have found a classic, 1950s style house for sale right in the middle of Blessing and immediately set about to renovating it a bit, to make it work as an office.

The first six months flew by, and I managed pretty well considering I had decided on having no assistant. I was solely responsible for all the paperwork as well as the interviewing and hours spent in the courtroom. Everything had been rather quiet, but steady, and then Leah Uley walked into my office.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" I asked, cordial as ever.

"You can give me a divorce from my goddamned husband, that's what you can do," she said, her arms crossed over her chest.

At that my jaw fell open slightly. Sam and Leah Uley were a bit like Blessing, Texas royalty. It was a small town, but the Uleys had moved to town ten years prior and Sam's magic touch had revitalized part of the agricultural industry, and I could instantly imagine the gossip that would filter through town.

"Are you certain, Mrs. Uley?" I asked. "Divorce is a serious thing."

She nodded and took a seat across the desk from me. "He's a cheating bastard. I hate him. Can you handle this or should I go to a big time lawyer?"

The quiet slight against my abilities didn't go unnoticed, but the professional in me required that I not comment on it. "Well, Mrs. Uley, I can most certainly handle this for you and your husband," I said. "Why don't you tell me exactly what's happened?"

And so it had begun.

There were eight thousand things I had to do for the case, seventy-five hundred of which required paperwork and filing and in the end and I was pretty sure we'd have an easy case, given that Sam Uley had already admitted to cheating on his wife with one Emily, who just happened to be Leah's cousin. And then, Leah advised that she wanted sole custody of their kids and something inside of me couldn't quite agree with her - no man should be denied the right to see his kids because of an admittedly large indiscretion.- but I never let that show. The whole thing was rather ugly, but the facts were pretty straight. We had to work through their joint and separate assets, and I planned to try to talk her down a bit on the kid front. I prayed that would go smoothly.

We had scheduled a mediating session that morning, which meant Sam and Leah, along with Sam's counsel, would all be in my small office.

Sam had hired Isabella Swan. I wasn't familiar with her, but Leah had advised that it was a bit odd, because the three of them – Sam, Leah and Isabella – had been friends most of their lives; for years prior to the Uley's move to Texas. Just to be prepared, I did a little research on her. A quick Google search revealed that she had a degree in Law from a rather prestigious university, had lived and worked at a big office in Seattle, Washington for a year and a half before coming to Blessing, assumedly for Sam's case only.

On _paper_, she looked perfect.

In _person_, the woman was mind-blowingly gorgeous, and I had to stop myself from staring.

"Are you Jasper Whitlock?" she asked, a slight look of distaste on her face as she took in the small size of my office. Sam stood behind her and I almost forgot to acknowledge him.

"I am," I said, standing up from behind my desk. Leah was already seated to one side of the room, an angry look on her face. I extended my hand toward Bella and her eyes shot downward as she walked in my direction. In the three seconds that she wasn't looking at me, I let my eyes rove up and down her form.

She was short – just a few inches over five feet tall – and had long, thick brown hair. It fell over her shoulders and over her chest and I had to make myself move my eyes away from the slight curve of her breasts beneath her shirt. Her hips were narrow and she was wearing a fitted skirt that left very little to the imagination, her long, shapely legs ending in tall heels. Her eyes were large and almond shaped, framed with long, dark lashes and her lips were full and pink.

In short, she looked delicious, and it threw me off a bit, because I was generally not the "eye a girl the minute she walks into the room" type.

Her eyes met mine as she reached the other side of my desk and a small, wry smile formed on her lips. She took my hand. "Bella Swan," she said.

I nodded and shook her hand, which was petite enough to fit inside of mine completely. She was the definition of feminine and I found myself just grinning at her, forgetting why she'd arrived.

As it turns out, she was all business.

"So. Here is some of my client's documentation. I have electronic copies of this, but thought you'd like a hard copy to look over on your own time."

I gulped. The phrase 'a hard copy' had just had a ridiculous effect on me. I released her hand and sat down, gesturing to the chair near her. "No, that won't be necessary … may I call you Bella?" She nodded. "Okay. Well, let's get right down to it then, shall we?" I said.

The four of us sat down and began a lengthy conversation regarding Sam and Leah's personal investments, properties and other assets, as well as the few that they held jointly. The two were surprisingly well behaved until Leah made an inflammatory remark about her cousin and Sam raised his voice in response. Bella lifted a hand and shushed him as she informed him that his response was unnecessary. "What was done is done," she murmured.

Leah stood at the end of our session and was the first to leave, after issuing a curt goodbye to Bella. Sam told Bella he would wait for her in the waiting area and she looked at me. "I'm hoping this goes smoothly." She handed me a card. "Call me at that number if you need anything. Otherwise, I'll see you in court in a few weeks."

"Thank you, Miss Swan, " I said. "I hope this meeting wasn't uncomfortable for you. I know my office is rather small."

"Not at all, sir," she said, and turned on her heel to leave my office.

Long after the door closed behind her, I sat, stone still.

I was focused on the beautiful woman that had just left my office, and the plethora of desires that had cropped up at her mere presence.

She was gorgeous, smart and capable. And when she'd called me sir, I couldn't lie: My ears and mind and … other parts of my body wanted to hear it in a different context.

I was going to have to rein that shit in if we were going to work together in any semblance of professionalism.

I shook my head as I pulled out Leah Uley's file. Finally, I began making notes about what we needed to get accomplished in the next few days.

**BPOV**

The meeting went well... or as well as could be expected. I asked the pertinent questions of Leah and Sam, trying to ascertain what the needs and wants of both parties were and how I could most effectively manipulate the situation in my client's favor. We didn't touch on the custody situation at all; I think we all felt that it was something best discussed separately for now. I hoped that I would have an ally in Jasper, that he would counsel his client to accept a joint custody offer so that we could wrap this with as little mess as possible.

I gave him my card as we left, letting him know he could call me if he needed anything. And because my vag wanted to do the talking, I overcompensated by being overly professional. Pretty sure I actually called him sir. I shook my head at myself as Sam and I walked out.

Sam dropped me off at the hotel shortly after, and I wasted no time booting up the laptop to get started on the eleventy billion documents I would need file for the case. No signal.

_Huh._

I called down to the front desk, hoping that maybe there was some kind of password I needed for wireless, or that they had a data center at the very least. I held back the mental snort at the idea that the Bates Motel would have some swanky computer lab hidden somewhere, because this was a crisis of epic fucking proportions. I needed to steer clear of bad karma and think positively.

"Front desk," a cheerful voice answered on the third ring.

"Yes, hi, this is Bella Swan in room 24. I was wondering, does the hotel have a wireless internet connection available?"

"Oh no, honey," Cheerful Voice lamented. "We don't have much call for that here. The library has a couple computers hooked up to the internet though. You could try there."

_You have got to be fucking kidding me..._

"Ok, thanks. Do you happen to know their hours?" I asked, glancing at the windows and noting that it was early evening.

"Six o'clock, honey," she answered.

It was 5:45. Peachy. "Ok, thank you."

"You let me know if I can help with anything else, now."

_Not likely._ "I will, thank you," I said before hanging up and falling face first into the bed, burying my face in the pillow to muffle my scream. "What the mother fuuuuuuck! Where _am_ I?"

Fuck my life.

What was I supposed to do? Short of marching my ass to the nearest Best Buy - excuse me while I laugh at the thought of there being a Best Buy anywhere near here - and buying a wireless card, I would have to plan my work schedule around library hours, which was just completely unacceptable. I needed data at my fingertips. I needed to be able to check my goddamn gmail and twitter at 3am if I wanted to. I mean, _fuck._

I picked up my cell phone and called the only person I could think of.

"Hello?" his gruff voice answered, his tone distracted.

"Babe. I am in hell. What the fuck, why did you let me come here?" I whined straight off the mark.

"Bella," he sighed, and I could see him rubbing his eyes with this thumb and forefinger in exasperation. "I told you not to go. I knew you wouldn't be able to handle this kind of dynamic."

_Whoa, let's back the fucking train up, mister._

"What? No, that's not what I meant-- you know what, never mind." I ended the call and flung my phone on the bed.

He always thought the worst of me. I knew I had to tread somewhat lightly with him, that he was uncomfortable with my promotion. And hell, I could understand that - we'd been competitive with one another from day one. It was only natural he'd feel a little jealous of it... but I thought he'd be over it by now. And what's more, I thought somewhere inside he'd be _happy_ for me. Weren't we a team? Wasn't my success _our_ success? Would it always be like this? Would I always have to take his belittlement because I felt bad that I'd been recognized for my skills before he had?

Epic fucking sigh.

I didn't want to think about this anymore. I needed a distraction. And maybe an alcoholic beverage.

I realized I hadn't eaten since the morning and my stomach was about to devour me from the inside out. I knew my swanky ass hotel probably didn't run to room service, but vaguely remembered some sort of diner type thing right down the street. It'd do. They probably had beer. Or wine in the box, at the very least.

I'd just taken a disgustingly huge bite of my BBQ bacon burger when a familiar voice said, "Bella?"

I turned to my right to see Jasper fucking Whitlock, Sultan of motherfucking Schwing standing at the end of my table. "Hey," I said, my voice muffled with the three pounds of beef and cheese I'd stuffed in my mouth three seconds prior.

His delicious lips quirked up into a smirk. "Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt your dinner, but I saw you when I walked in and wondered if you'd be open to talking for a few minutes?"

I made a please go ahead gesture as I tried to swallow. I took a swig of beer to wash it down as he slid into the booth across from me, folding his hands on the white formica. His tanned skin was in golden contrast to the gleaming tabletop and I was momentarily mesmerized by his hands: large and rough looking, with long fingers and short nails.

Can't lie. I wanted them on me.

I mentally kicked my ass for even thinking about it, and cleared my throat. "So, what did you want to talk about, sir?"

Fuck, what was with me and the sirs?

I saw his mouth quirk a bit with it and I knew he wanted to laugh at my ridiculousness. I almost called him on it, but he spoke before I could let my self-deprecation fly.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm doing my best to sway Leah on the custody issue."

I nodded, taking another sip of my beer. "Thank you, I appreciate it. I..." I trailed off, sighing, trying to choose my words carefully. "He made a mistake, he admits it and is willing to pay the price for it - but he's a good father, and I'll fight with him to keep his kids. They shouldn't be used as tools to hurt him."

Jasper nodded in agreement. "I agree. No child should be without their parents if it can be helped." His cerulean eyes were suddenly filled with such sadness before they cleared as quickly as they'd clouded over; he smiled, like the sun through a stormy sky. I wanted to take his hand in mine, squeeze it in sympathy... for what, I did not know. I wanted to press my lips to his mouth and ensure it never fell into an unhappy line.

I wanted to... stop fucking writing odes to his body parts in my goddamn head.

"I don't know them well," he continued, "I know _of _them more than anything. Small town life. You know how it is," he shrugged with a grin. "But it's easy to see that she's just hurting right now and looking for a way to lash out. It's not what she really wants, and I think I'll be able to convince her of that."

His compassion and sincerity were evident, and I was touched by the way he was invested in people he didn't really know. I wondered if he took every case to heart as he did this one - and if he did, how he could possibly succeed as a lawyer. Bleeding hearts were not known for being cutthroat SOB's in the courtroom.

But then again... small time lawyers probably did not see the inside of a courtroom often.

_And now you're belittling the same guy you wanted to mack on three seconds ago. Bitch._

"Well, I appreciate that, Jasper," I said. "I, on the other hand, do know the Uley's well and I totally agree with your assessment of Leah. I wish there was a way for me to talk to her, but obviously it's impossible given the situation. I'm just glad she has someone like you in her corner," I said, tipping my beer at him in mock salute.

"Someone like me?" he smirked, his eyes dancing.

_Yeah, you know... hot as fuck, pretty mouth, strong hands and heart of gold?_

I cleared my throat, willing away the blush that had crept onto my cheeks with _that_ thought. "Yeah, you know... someone who cares. You seem to be genuinely invested in this, beyond just wanting to win the case."

He looked at me like I had two heads. "Of course I care. Why wouldn't I? There's more to life than winning, Bella."

That one, simple statement resonated within me. Who _was_ this guy? He couldn't be real.

"Well," I mumbled, watching my fingertip trace a random shape on the tabletop. "There aren't a lot of people who feel that way." I met his eyes, dark and blue and regarding me so intensely I felt as though he could see through to my pounding heart and hear his quiet declaration echoing through my head. "I appreciate it."

He reached across the table and laid his hand over mine. I nearly gasped as the warmth of his palm seeped into my skin, electricity arcing between us. I met his eyes, sure mine reflected my astonishment at the sensation as he said, "Thank you. I appreciate that you care, too."

Our gazes remained locked for a moment; I couldn't tear my eyes away as I just stared at him wordlessly, his eyes full of compassion and sincerity. They were the purest thing I'd ever seen and I wanted to drown in them. Finally, the moment broke and I blurted out the first thing that came to mind to ease the ridiculous tension I could feel building between us.

"So, Jasper Whitlock," I said with a raised eyebrow. "Would you mind explaining to me how it is possible that your town - or any town, anywhere in the first world - does not have wireless internet access coming out its ass in the year of our lord baby Jesus two thousand and fucking nine?"

He was silent for a moment, and I feared that I'd offended him with the whole mocking of his hometown and dirty words thing. Or, as I liked to refer to it, Bella's lack of filter. Luckily, he threw his head back and laughed, the sound loud and full, after a moment. My relief was outweighed by the infectious quality of his amusement, and I found myself smiling in response. An actual smile, not my usual smirk or fake professional mask or the tried and true Fuck Off Asshole sneer.

"Well now, Miss Bella," he said, still chuckling. "I don't have the answer to that. But you're welcome to set up in my office for the duration of your stay if you'd like. I have a small office that I'm using for storage at the moment, and do happen to have wireless access."

I mulled it over. On one hand, it would be awesome to have an actual desk and internet access and maybe even a printer handy. On the other hand... on a scale of one to ten, how unprofessional and possibly damaging to my case would it be to share space with the opposing counsel?

"I promise I won't peek," he said and though it was said with a smirk, I somehow, instinctively knew he was sincere. And that I could trust him.

"Ok," I said tentatively. "I really appreciate the offer."

"Oh, it will be my pleasure, Bella," he said with a smirk, his low drawl skittering over every single nerve ending in my body.

I was in hell. Pure, unadulterated hell.

The devil sat across from me in a white dress shirt rolled up to the elbows, his eyes searing into me with their quiet intensity, his voice with its soothing drawl speaking softly as the flames licked over my skin, the heat burned into my bones and the want glowed like an ember inside of me. It obliterated everything but him.

It was really fucking annoying. And distracting.

I'd never felt this kind of physical pull for another person. I mean, obviously I'd lusted after people before - I was no virgin, but this kind of instinctual reaction, this magnetic pull in my gut was new. I felt almost out of control of myself. I watched him speak, his words slow and deliberate, but articulate. I could see the inner mechanisms; the time and effort he placed on making sure the words that escaped his lips were exactly what he wanted to say. Eventually my attention was distilled to tunnel vision in which I could see only the movement of his lips as he formed each word, the soft passes of his tongue when he licked his lips between phrases, and the only sound I could ascertain was the blood beating heavily in my veins.

I could hardly focus on the dialogue happening beside me. The pulsing tension around me fluttered at the edges of my consciousness, but I only took full notice of it when Sam raised his voice in response to something Leah said about Emily. It was then I was pulled from the Jasper Whitlock, Esq Tractor Beam of Hot and engaged in the proceedings. I calmed Sam as best I could and urged them both to remain cordial while conducting official business.

I urged myself to keep my rampaging hormones in check and do the same.

When Sam and Leah left shortly after, I went to the bathroom to give myself a little come to Jesus talk. This shit was getting completely out of hand. I'd been using Jasper's extra office for nearly two weeks, and the magnetic pull toward him had only intensified with each passing day. His scent would envelope me every time I walked into his building; something earthy and slightly spicy. His voice would haunt me throughout the day as he spoke with clients; the sincerity in his deep tones reverberating through me. I'd feel his eyes on me every now and then; filled with an intensity I could not name, but felt as though it were his hands on my skin. We'd eat lunch together occasionally, his easy laughter and childhood stories making me ache for reasons I could not define.

He'd brush past me in the hallway or the kitchen, and every nerve ending on my body would tremble. He'd once wiped a stray blot of salad dressing from the corner of my mouth with his thumb, and that one small touch ignited my entire body. I felt myself grow hot and wet at just his thumb on my mouth and knew he would wreck me with anything more than that innocuous touch.

I cursed myself for the feelings I could not control; I felt weak and guilty for not being able to stop them, to curb my rampant desire for a man I hardly knew. I was engaged. I had no right to even think these things, let alone act on them. I couldn't allow myself to throw away everything I'd worked for in the last ten years because I merely lusted after another man. I knew what was right and what was wrong, and I wasn't going to let myself forget it.

When I emerged from the bathroom I felt better. Stronger. Capable of controlling myself. I had a case to win, and I needed to hone my focus on the job I was here to do. And when it was done, I would go home. To my life. To James. And I'd forget all about my involuntary attraction to one Jasper Whitlock.

It didn't matter that the thought made me feel inexplicably hollow and empty and aching inside. It was what was right.

I bgathered the paperwork I needed to work on that night in a rush, suddenly needing to be away - somewhere that didn't require me to swallow his scent like air with every breath.

"Hey," I said, poking my head into his office. He looked up, startled. "Sorry. Umm... I'm heading out for the night, see you tomorrow?"

He smiled, the line of his mouth tight and I wondered what was bothering him. I almost asked, but realized it would be counterproductive.

"Ok, have a good night, Bella."

I nodded and waved, and nearly sprinted to the door. I got all the way to the hotel and into my room before I realized I'd left a key document behind at the office. _Shit._ I weighed my options. I could be completely unproductive for the rest of the night, thereby making the next day a complete clusterfuck, or I could go back and retrieve the paperwork I needed. I sighed in defeat. I had to go back.

_It'll be fine. Good for you, even. An exercise in self-control._

Right.

I dragged my feet heading back, giving myself mental pep talks the entire way. As I opened the door the Jasper's office, I could hear music playing in his office, some slow southern beat that sounded vaguely familiar. I walked to his office, intending to let him know I'd come back for a minute so he didn't think someone had broken in or something. The sight with which I was met stopped my heart.

He was sitting behind his desk, his shirtsleeves still rolled up to the elbows, his hair in wild disarray from what looked like his hands running through it... and he was wearing glasses. Tortoiseshell rimmed, sing to me in the key of motherfuck glasses. He had a glass of amber liquid beside his elbow, and his head was bent as he read the document in front of him. For a moment, I thought he was mouthing the words on the page as he read until it registered that I could hear two voices singing.

Jasper. Was. Singing.

His husky voice was good whiskey; smooth and sultry and seeping into my veins like fire.

_Forget your lust for the rich mans gold  
All that you need is in your soul,  
And you can do this if you try.  
All that I want for you my son,  
Is to be satisfied._

It was as though he was singing my anthem, singing about the man I secretly desired, the man I could not find. A simple man. He was singing about himself and in that moment the world ceased to exist. I could see only the man sitting in front of me, I could only watch his lips move as he sang softly, I could only hear his voice echo through the room.

It was him.

"Jasper," I gasped.

His head snapped up, and the eyes that latched onto mine turned dark and intense. They were filled with desire.

He wanted me.

Nothing else mattered in that instant. I crossed the room to him in quick strides. He pushed away from his desk as I approached, and I immediately sank into his lap, and covered his lips with my own. We groaned at the contact, a noise of both desperation and satisfaction. His warm, rough hands came to my face, holding me to him as our mouth opened to taste and tangle and devour. He tasted of whiskey and want, the flavor like a slow burning fire on my tongue. My hands went to his hair, my fingers threading through the wild mass, the strands surprisingly soft and cool. His mouth left mine to blaze a hot, wet trail over my jaw, down my neck, resting for a moment on my thundering pulse point before sucking gently and wringing a choked gasp from me. His hands roved down my back to my hips, pulling me to him as his mouth met mine again. I rocked against him, unable to restrain my need for him, the desire to feel my every inch pressed against him. To be consumed bodily, just as thoughts of him had consumed my every moment since I'd laid eyes on him.

He leaned back, his eyes burning into mine, his fingers clutching my hips. "Bella, I..." I cut him off, placing a finger at his lips.

I couldn't take words right now. Couldn't answer questions. I could only feel. I could only need.

"Just let me," I murmured against his neck. "Just touch me... I can't... I need..." I trailed off as his mouth met mine again.

"I know," he groaned. "I know."

And I knew that he did.

His strong arms lifted me, set me atop his desk as he rose to his feet. He stepped between my thighs, one warm palm gliding from my neck to my navel and them up again, finally resting between my breasts. My chest heaved beneath his hand with every gasping breath, and I knew he could feel my thundering heart. I didn't care. I wanted him to feel my every reaction, to know what he did to me with every small touch. I trusted him with my vulnerability because I knew he would not see it as such. Knew he would give his own back to me.

His hands undid each button on my shirt slowly; his eyes took in each new sliver of skin thoroughly. He parted the shirt once it was undone, running his fingertips lightly across my collarbones, down my sternum, across my trembling stomach.

"So beautiful," he murmured, tearing his gaze from my exposed skin and meeting my eyes. I couldn't handle the raw lust I saw there, couldn't process the intensity. I yanked him to me by his shirtfront, attacking his mouth and hastily unbuttoning his shirt before shoving it over his shoulders and down his arms. His skin was fire under my fingertips, hard and smooth. I ran my tongue over his shoulder, clamping my teeth down on the juncture between it and his neck. I was ravenous and his choked moan only intensified my need.

His hands became urgent, ridding me of my shirt and bra in one movement, and suddenly his mouth was at my breast and fire consumed my body as his heat surrounded me, pulling against my flesh, lapping and biting and distilling my entire existence into one acute moment of aching need. My hands flew to his belt, ripping it from his pants and popping the button on his slacks as his mouth continued to annihilate me.

I took him in my hand, hard and hot and throbbing and the needy groan that tore from him was an echo of my own. His hands grazed my thighs, pushing my skirt to my hips as they ascended. He pulled back from my breasts, watching his hand as it palmed me through my panties. I was drenched and aching and even that small touch sent shockwaves through my body. One finger stole beneath my underwear, sinking into my heat, stroking my flesh, tearing a whimper from me with the intensity of his simple touch.

I'd never felt anything so raw; I was pure sensation.

"Bella," he groaned again, adding another finger, slipping them both inside of me. He pumped them slowly, in and out, his eyes rising to meet my own. They were as blind and needy as I was.

"Jasper," I gasped. "Please, I need you."

He kissed me then, slowly, deliberately, thoroughly, breaking only to draw my panties down my legs. He slipped inside of me without preamble, our bodies fitting as though we were two pieces of the same entity.

He moved in me slow and deep, his quiet murmurs, his soft touches wrecking me. Obliterating me. I felt the cracks and fissures inside tremble beneath the weight of his touch, his words, his gaze. My body arched and bowed beneath him, the acute pleasure overtaking me in fierce waves of sensation. I felt myself shatter into sharp shards of need as I came, only to fall back into place intact, free of the aching voids that had festered for so long inside me.

He groaned my name as he came, his body shuddering above me. His hands came to my face, gasping against my lips as he kissed me. I swallowed his breath, his taste, his scent.

I had never been so full. Never been so complete.

I knew then what Sam meant when he described it as the missing piece clicking into place.

**JPOV**

When we were done – when I could finally breathe again – I kissed her, lightly brushing my lips across hers, and then knelt down to hand her underwear back to her.

In that short span of time, every concern I'd had over the last two weeks: that of my ever-growing attraction to her, the way I wanted her, despite the fact that I knew it was wrong, the many 'what if's'… all of them went away. Every moral dilemma I had flew from the window in the moment that she'd gasped my name.

I had to have her in whatever way she would allow me.

She pulled her panties back up those sexy as hell legs and adjusted her skirt; her shirt was buttoned only at the center of her chest and her hair was mussed but so damn alluring. I sat before her, my pants back in place as I sat in my chair and reached for her hand.

The smoothness of her skin wasn't lost on me as I focused my eyes on the diamond bauble on her finger, caressing gently. This connection between the two of us filled the room to the ceiling and made me never want to be anywhere but by her side. I looked up at her, my eyes open and waiting for her response.

"What now?" I asked. She sighed, her brow slightly furrowed, and I wrapped her hand in mine.

* * *

**What did you think of Lawsper? Review and let us know and maybe we'll give you some more of him once the contest is over!**

**Open Voting will run from October 5 12:00 AM EDT to October 18 11:59 PM EDT... and it wouldn't hurt Lawsper's feelings if you voted for him. Just saying.**


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, Hello!

Many, many thanks to the people that purchased the continuation of Simple Kind of Man in the Fandom Gives Back Auction last November - **darcysdarling**, **ElleCC**, **arfess96**, **Jade7**, **tawelephants**, and **poppingpenguin**. We are so excited to be continuing this story for you and can't thank you enough for your contribution.

We didn't have all of your email addresses, so if any of you would like to preview the next chapter before it posts, please send us your email in a PM. Thanks!

Thank you to **ElleCC** for stepping up and betaing this for us.

We don't own this, but Lawsper owns the both of us.

* * *

**BPOV  
**  
"What now?" Jasper asked, his voice husky and just shy of vulnerable as he fingered the ring on my left hand.

I was still reeling from all that had occurred between us, I'd felt infused with light, weightless. My body was buzzing, my limbs lax and my mind deliciously calm - until he uttered those words, bringing me back to reality. Grounding me.

His warm hand gripped mine, nearly encapsulating it completely in his much larger grasp. I felt small beside him, but not overpowered. I felt safe. Though he could tower over me, I never felt intimidated by his size. Never felt as though he used it to his advantage as so many other men might. As James did at every opportunity.

James.

At his name, I felt a spasm of guilt. I could feel its heaviness working its way through my limbs, embarrassment and shame twisting my gut. What had I done? I'd gone against everything I believed in and... for what?

For something I could not even define?

I'd been reckless. Stupid.

And god how I wanted to tear the clothes from my body and do it all again. Even now when the sick realization of my mistake was roiling through me, the pull to him was pulsing around the edges of my shame.

"I don't know," I whispered, unable to meet Jasper's eyes. I pulled my hand from his, moving to stand and began straightening my clothes.

Bella," he began, warm fingers pressing against my chin, urging me to look at him. I raised my eyes, met his deep blue gaze brimming with tenderness and what I thought I could identify as worry. "Please... don't."

I had to drop my eyes, the need and longing in his too much for me. I wasn't sure what he meant. Don't go? Don't freak the fuck out? Could you be a little more specific, please, sir?

"I have to go," I said instead of asking for the clarification I shouldn't need and definitely shouldn't want, pulling on my shoes.

I buttoned my shirt as swiftly as I could with fingers that felt numb, keeping my eyes on the task instead of the stare I could feel burning into me from where Jasper sat, barely a foot from me. I could hear his every inhale, I imagined they came fast, became more ragged with every button I fastened. I could smell him, our scents mingled, a heady combination of spicy and sweet and the salt of our lust permeated the room. I could feel the heat radiating from his body stealing into me.

He was so close.  
He felt so far away.

Out of reach.

I could not have him. As much as I wanted to go to him, crawl into his lap and drink in the warmth and safety he evoked, I could not. I'd promised myself to another.

And I did not break my promises.

At least... I didn't use to.

I allowed my eyes to meet his briefly. "I'm sorry," I whispered. He nodded, dropping his eyes from mine as though he could not bear to look at me.

I didn't blame him. I knew, had I the option, I would not want to look at myself either.

The face of a liar. A cheat.

I walked swiftly from the room and out the door, knowing if I delayed, if I looked at him again I may not be able to find the will to leave.

The evening air was still thick and warm, offering no respite for my dry throat and sweating palms.

I walked the few blocks to my hotel, holding myself tightly. I was so close to breaking down. I felt sick, dirty. My skin was sticky and hot, my stomach in greasy knots. My mind... I kept my mind blank, knowing if I began to analyze, to pick apart just where and how I went off course I would not be able to keep myself together until I was alone within the four sterile walls of my hotel room.

I was unclean and unworthy of everything.

I made it just within the door before I dropped my bag and sprinted to the bathroom, my body attempting to expel the weight of regret that sat lodged within my stomach. When I'd finally exhausted myself, when my limbs shook and the tears that had begun falling down my face unchecked subsided, I sat against the tub, letting the cool porcelain soothe my clammy skin.

After a few long moments, I stood. I faced the mirror, surveying my form. My face was red and blotchy and wet with tears. My guilty eyes swollen and bloodshot. My lips were beestung - from his kisses. My hair tangled - from his hands. Angry red patches lingered on my neck - from his stubble-roughened skin.

My stomach twisted at the physical reminders of what I had done, but worse - much worse - was the pulsing echo that erupted within me at the memory of his hands and mouth on my skin.

What had I done... and more importantly, why?  
Who was this person I had become?

I had no answer for either. All I knew was that the inexplicable connection I felt for Jasper had festered within me, a constant buzzing along my skin that had intensified daily until I felt as though I would surely scream if I could not touch him, feel him touch me.

But that didn't make it right.

People are attracted to each other every day. It is in our nature as human beings. We are animals simply reacting to physical cues, pheromones, body language. The beauty of biology at work. But that did not give me the excuse to act on them. Nature was nothing in the face of nurture, and I knew better. I knew better and I'd done it anyway.

I was no better than Sam.  
No better than my mother.  
No better than James.

James.

I would have to tell him. Come clean and hope the balm of his forgiveness would be enough to ease the torment within me. Not that I deserved it. After all I'd put him through for his own indiscretion, I should have been doubly prepared to resist this.

I needed to tell him, and the sooner the better. Immediately.

I needed to go home, get some distance. Some perspective. Remind myself who and what I was. Who I loved and why I'd chosen to spend my life with him, despite his mistake. I hoped he would give me the same benefit.

With hands that trembled, I began to pack.

**JPOV **

As soon as she'd stepped away from me, I had felt it.

_There was a chasm that developed, a gorge so wide and deep that I knew I couldn't dare cross it, and she was on the other side, a world away from me. I wouldn't be able to reach her. I just knew, somehow, that she was gone._

_And it only took a second._

_Even as I was still internally reeling from the love we'd just made - and I was certain it was lovemaking, not some pity fuck for either one of us, though I couldn't pinpoint why - I felt her recede. Where before she was coursing with life, filling me in ways I couldn't describe as I filled her physically, a mere moment later, she was absent, blocked and gone._

_It hurt like hell, and although the visceral nature of my reaction to her immediate distance was disconcerting for me, I knew better than to say anything._

_She wouldn't have heard me._

_She didn't hear me as I quietly asked that she stop the thoughts that had to be colliding in her mind, thoughts of inadequacy and wrong versus right and her fiancé, whoever the lucky bastard was._

_She _didn't_ hear me, and she walked away from me, leaving me alone in my office._

_It had never felt so large and empty as it did in her wake._

_When she rushed away, I could only watch._

_Everything within me wanted to run after her, to catch her by the wrist and beg her to stay with me for the night. I wanted to hold her, to show her that fucking her on a desk wasn't my intention, to prove to her that this desire I felt for her had been growing and coursing under my skin since the day she walked into my office._

_I had walked in silence to the front door, hoping against hope that she would be there, staring through the glass paneling, waiting for me to usher her back inside, but when I reached it, all I could see was the quiet streets of Blessing. Bella was nowhere to be found. For a moment, I had considered walking to the hotel and finding her room. I could talk to her. Reason with her._

_About _what_, you idiot? I asked myself._

Bella was engaged to be married to some guy back in Washington, and I was just a small town lawyer she'd been faced with for a couple weeks. I was nobody of consequence to her, and there was no point in thinking it would work out between us.

I pulled myself from my unpleasant walk down memory lane with that dejected thought. Then, I walked back to my desk, straightened the piles of my paperwork, and grabbed my bag and laptop before heading back through the office and stepping outside. I walked toward my truck and eyed the hotel longingly, as though she were still there. Never before had I just wanted to touch someone so badly. A handshake. A hug. I just wanted to feel her body near mine again, her skin under my fingertips.

I shook my head as I climbed into my truck and reversed out of my spot on the street. Without even thinking, I drove straight to the Quik-E-Mart and walked inside.

"Hey, Jasper," Becca called out, and I cursed the fact that everyone knew everyone in towns the size of Blessing.

"Becca," I replied in a flat voice as I miraculously found a six-pack of Shiner Blonde.

I headed to the cash register and shoved the beer across the counter. Becca rang me up and took my money without further attempts at communication, for which I was grateful. "You have a good night, now, Becca," I managed as I left the store.

The drive home, of course, was short, and I suddenly yearned to be able to drive aimlessly, to allow myself to get lost as I considered everything that had occurred within the last few weeks. Bella, Leah and Sam's divorce announcement... All right, so mostly it was Bella. I wanted to analyze her, to figure out why I was so drawn to her, and I knew that driving without any real thought as to where I was going would free my mind to think.

But driving around Blessing got old quick, so I returned to my house and settled into the chair on my back porch, the six pack of beer in a cooler of ice on the floor at my feet.

As I stared at my small backyard, I opened the first beer and thought of the first day I saw her.

_She walked into my office, all confidence and intelligence, clearly out to prove that she was just as good as I was. Hell, maybe she even had some feminist notions, but I didn't care one way or another because she was beautiful and accomplished, and I liked the way that damn shirt hugged the narrowest part of her waist._

_I'd also be lying if I didn't admit to enjoying the curves that the shirt showcased just above that narrow waist, and long after she and Sam left my office, I thought about her._

_I could picture her smiling, could imagine her dressed down, in simple jeans and a t-shirt with her hair pulled back, showcasing what I had noticed was a graceful neck. And then, in my weakest moments, I could picture her naked, beneath me in bed, and it was enough fodder to have me jerking off like I had when I was fifteen._

I sighed as I remembered all the time I'd spent thinking of her, innocent thoughts or not, and realized that the first beer was gone, and stood the empty bottle to the side of my chair before opening a second one.

I thought about her legs, her perfect lips, her gorgeous brown eyes. I smirked in spite of myself as I recalled the way her ass had looked in that skirt, and those heels she was wearing.

Yes. At first, it was purely physical, or so I'd thought.

_But then, I'd run into her in the cafe, and she just seemed so damn unassuming. Gone was the bravado from that day in the office. She was sweet, mentioning that she was impressed that I actually cared about right and wrong, not just winning. "Of course I care. Why wouldn't I? There's more to life than winning, Bella," I'd said._

_Soon after, she'd complained about Blessing's lack of Wi-Fi, and I thought perhaps I saw a part of the real her, all sass and fun, and I can't lie: It was a turn on. We'd chatted for a few minutes and before I even thought through it too much, I heard myself offering my extra office to her. When she accepted it, and I told her it was my pleasure to offer it, she couldn't know that although part of the reason was that I could understand wanting a desk and a reliable internet connection to work with, part of me just wanted her in the same building. I felt abuzz with energy when she was near me, not to mention that it had been a long time since I was so attracted to anyone._

I furrowed my brow and looked down at the bottle in my hand. Beer #2 was gone, and I opened a third one, well aware that I was behaving like a lush, but too focused on my thoughts of Bella to care.

Over the days that she worked with my office, I got to see yet another side of Bella Swan.

_That girl was a hard worker. Despite the fact that she knew I was working on Leah regarding the kids and the custody fight - an admission I probably shouldn't have made in front of her - Bella was on her phone all day, and the keys were constantly tapping as she worked on various reports and files._

_So on top of being gorgeous, she was smart, witty and driven as all get out._

_I was a lost cause._

_I thought about her all day. I'd been picturing her in as little clothing as possible, wishing I had a chance, but every time I considered it, I remembered the ring on her left hand, and all my hopes were dashed. There was a man who had already proposed, who probably realized what a catch she was, and I was nobody in her world._

_But when she slipped back into my office that night as I was singing Lynard Skynard, and I'd met her eyes, none of that mattered. My name whispered from her lips was all it took. I had to have her, had to take her, and I didn't care the cost._

_The feel of her body beneath my fingertips, and the way she responded to me... it had all been so much, so fast. When I was inside of her, I felt a strange sense of completion, like everything was just as it should be, but days later, everything fell around me, and all my hope shattered like glass, lying in shards around my feet as she made her quick escape._

_When I saw Leah for a quick consultation meeting two mornings after the fact, she mentioned that Sam's lawyer had flown back to Seattle and it was literally as though my heart had fallen out of my chest. I had assumed that Bella would perhaps work from her hotel for a day until she sorted through whatever feelings she had regarding the fact that we'd had sex on my desk, a truth that assaulted me as soon as I arrived the next morning._

_And every second throughout the remainder of that day._

_But when Leah came in, and she let it be known that Bella was gone, the pain that overwhelmed me had been indescribable. I wondered how it was possible to feel so strongly about a woman I hardly knew. It seemed illogical, and my lawyer's brain told me I needed to tread lightly when I realized something else._

Sitting on my porch midway through yet another beer, I thought about that realization again, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. As badly as it hurt, I still wanted her. I still wanted her to come back to Blessing, though I had no idea what it would mean if she did.

I needed her near, and that wasn't a possibility. There were 2,536 miles between us, and it felt like she was halfway around the world.

Had it only been a handful of days since that night? Since she went back to Seattle without saying a word to me? It felt like an eternity.

After I downed the fourth beer, I was still drowning in thoughts of Bella. I'd hoped the alcohol would calm me, be a healing salve on the pain I felt because she was not only gone but had left without notice. I wanted to forget for a while, but that simply wasn't an option, so I let her overwhelm me.

Her hair. Her hands. Her voice. The passion she had for her job. The way she looked all dressed up.

The way she looked in nothing at all.

It was her eyes that I focused on as I threw my empty beer bottles away and put the two remaining full ones in the refrigerator. Her eyes. They were so expressive and the maple syrup of her irises burned into me, creating a warmth that vibrated down my spine when she met my gaze.

I thought of her eyes and passed out on my couch, wondering why the Universe would bring something so painfully unattainable into my life and why I had to fall for the one woman I couldn't have.

* * *

Uh-oh. Poor Lawsper. :(

What's your poison for drowning your sorrows?


	3. Chapter 3

_Many, many thanks to the people that purchased the continuation of Simple Kind of Man in the Fandom Gives Back Auction last November - **darcysdarling**, **ElleCC**, **arfess96**, **Jade7**, **tawelephants**, and **poppingpenguin**. We are so excited to be continuing this story for you and can't thank you enough for your contribution._

_Thank you to **ElleCC** for stepping up and betaing this for us._

_We don't own these characters, but Lawsper owns us. If we did, there would have been a lot less Holy Crows and a lot more What the motherfucks. Just saying. Neither do we own the title; big ups to Lynyrd Skynyrd for them. Please don't sue us, we love Alabama. Also, no offense to anyone in Blessing, TX._

* * *

I spent the entire red eye going over and over what I would say to James. I would be cut and dry - no beating around the bush, no prevarication, no excuses. I'd made a horrible, fucking _horrible_ mistake and could only hope he could find it in his heart to forgive me.

I knew, reasonably, he'd have no real choice but to forgive - I'd done the same for him, hadn't I? Weren't we equal now on some cosmic level? Perhaps it would even be good for us - entering into marriage with equal footing, each carrying an equal weight of guilt, an equal drive to make everything perfect from that moment forward.

I nearly snorted out loud to myself at that fucking ridiculous thought. He was going to be... furious. Unbearably so, I knew. It wouldn't matter to him that he'd done the same to me; I knew his possessiveness over me would not allow him to think clearly once he knew what I had done. I could only hope I would be able to talk him down enough - eventually - to allow him to see reason.

I willed my brain to stop spinning. I wondered briefly if maybe I'd slept with Jasper out of spite, if it had been some unconscious move on my part to get back at James.

But as quickly as the thought flitted into my brain, I dismissed it. It felt almost... painful to cheapen my encounter with Jasper in that way. It had been wrong, of course. Obscenely so. But there had been no ulterior motive in that moment, nothing in my head except the painful throb of need for the beautifully simple man before me.

I clenched my eyes, craving darkness, but all I could see was his face in the dim light of his office as we moved together. His face as I left: hollow and sick.

"Fuck," I muttered miserably to myself, mercifully alone in my row of seats on the plane.

With a frustrated sigh, I grabbed my headphones, drowning out sound and thought.

**oOo**

The cab ride from the airport was a blur. My stomach was in knots, my head spinning as I ran through everything I would say. I was so fucking nervous and jittery and just - god - out of my fucking mind. I couldn't get a firm grip on myself. I felt at once like I was floating above my body and tethered to my shaking and heavy limbs.

I was so tired. My bones felt like lead weights beneath skin that was crawling with disgust and confusion and fear. I couldn't think about anything, couldn't let myself examine my actions too closely. I didn't really know what I wanted, but I knew what was right.

My path seemed clear.

My stomach twisted viciously when the cab pulled in front of our apartment building. It heaved in the elevator. My heart was racing so fast I felt woozy when I reached the door. The keys jingled in my trembling fingers and I felt as though every noise I made was magnified tenfold. It was still very early in the morning and while I didn't want to put my confrontation with James off, I also didn't want to wake him up by stumbling noisily into the apartment. That would not bode well for the conversation.

I dropped my bag in the entryway and took a deep breath, searching for calm. For composure. For some fucking dignity.

I looked around as I made my way to our bedroom. The whole place seemed strangely... sterile. As though it had been barely lived in. I supposed that was true in a sense. James and I worked a ton of hours and when not working, we had plenty to occupy ourselves outside of our home. Neither of us was one for lazy Saturdays with nothing particular on the agenda.

There were no knick knacks on the shelves or magazines on the coffee table. The only books we had were tomes on policy and precedents. There were no cute framed snapshots of us on the mantel or on the walls. Nothing about our home gave any indication of our relationship. We could have been roommates for how intimate our living space seemed.

And yet, as I approached the bedroom, I knew there was more than what appeared on the surface between us. There was the heat of passion and possession and love. I knew there was love. Wasn't there? People who weren't in love didn't decide to get married, after all.

He wouldn't have asked - after everything we'd gone through - if he hadn't wanted this - me, us - forever. Right? And I wouldn't have accepted if I hadn't wanted the same.

I twisted the engagement ring around my finger nervously. It felt as though it weighed a hundred pounds on my hand. As though it had its own heaving pulse. With a deep breath, I pushed open the door to our bedroom and prepared to face James.

The air was still, soft light streaming in from the window. From my perspective in the doorway, I could see James' naked back rise and fall with each breath as he lay on his side, one arm bent under his head. I traced his form with my eyes. He was long and lean and perfectly sculpted. He'd never settle for less. His blonde hair was messy and I knew it would be just long enough to brush the collar of his shirt.

He seemed so still in sleep. So peaceful. I don't think I had ever taken the time to really look at him at rest. He seemed so much less intense this way, so much more... vulnerable. Human. When awake, he was animated and driven and at times, hard. It was difficult to believe anything could ever hurt him, could ever penetrate his shell of aloof confidence that bordered on condescending.

But now... I wondered. I wondered if I could truly hurt him, or if he'd merely be angry that I'd allowed another to touch me - to touch something he considered his. I knew his feelings ran intensely for me, but we'd never had the kind of relationship where either of us had really talked about how we felt for one another. He seemed uncomfortable with it and I'd never felt as though I'd needed the verbal reassurance.

I didn't know what to think, what to feel as I looked at his sleeping form from the doorway. I don't know what I expected to feel - some cosmic shift? Some sign that I was meant to be with him?

I just... didn't know.

I took a deep breath and exhaled on a sigh. Time to face the music.

I moved from the doorway and around to my side of the bed... and stopped dead in my tracks.

James was not alone.

Victoria was curled up against his chest, her red hair a fiery halo around her face, slack and serene in sleep. James' body was wrapped around her, their limbs tangled... their hands clasped. His face was peaceful - almost unrecognizable in its smooth lines and relaxation. Gone was the seemingly permanent groove between his brows and the brackets around his mouth. His lips were even turned up in the barest of smiles, his cheek resting against her hair.

I stared for seconds or minutes - it could have even been an hour. I wasn't sure. Time and space seemed to stagnate, even the mechanisms within my own body seeming to still as I stared at the scene before me. I kept waiting for the weight to fall, for it to crash into me. For me to feel something. But there was nothing.

I looked at the man I'd spent the last five years of my life with in bed - our bed - with another woman and I felt... absolutely fucking nothing.

I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but instead I crept quietly out of the room and down the hall. I reached the granite bar that separated the kitchen from the living room and paused, gripping the edge of the counter as a wave of dizziness passed through me. My head was spinning with everything I was trying to process. I took deep breaths, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there before either of them woke up.

The last thing I wanted was to have the cliched lover scorned scene right now. I needed to get my bearings first.

I fiddled with the ring on my left hand, debating what to do. I wanted to run from this situation and never look back. I didn't know what to do, how to handle it - what I _wanted_ to do or how I _wanted_ to handle it.

I was so fucking tired.

I slipped the ring off my finger for the first time in over a year and set it on the counter before grabbing the pad of paper by the phone and scribbling a quick message.

_Call me when you want to talk. ~Bella_

I left the ring and the note by the phone, picked up my bag and left as quietly as I came.

When I reached the lobby of our building, I sank down in one of the chairs and dialed the only person I knew who would not only be up this early, but willing to pick my ass up and let me crash at his place.

With heavy limbs I pulled the cell out of my bag and dialed.

"Jake?" I asked with a voice that trembled. "I need you."

**oOo**

Jake didn't ask questions. He took one look at me, gave me a hug and ushered me into his car and then into his spare room. I collapsed, mentally and physically exhausted, letting the quiet waves of oblivion overtake me.

When I woke the sun was glinting through the shades, a deep amber color that signified evening. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table, noting with a groan it was nearly six and I'd slept for almost twelve hours.

I sighed and stretched and then lay still, letting the weight of everything settle upon me. I tried to wrap my head around all the events of the last couple of days and I couldn't. Too much to process.

With a soft knock, Jake entered the room. "You up?" he asked. I nodded. "Good." He marched over to the blinds, opening them so the room was filled with the soft glow of evening. I groaned and threw my arm over my eyes as he handed me a glass of juice and plopped down on the bed beside me.

"So... spill, Bells."

I sighed. "I don't even know where to fucking start."

"Why don't you start with why you're in Seattle when last I heard you were handling my idiot brother's divorce in Bumfuck Egypt."

"Thaaaat's... kind of a long story, and I know you're going to judge the hell out of me for it," I answered, shifting and sitting up so I faced him cross legged on the bed. "I fucked up, Jake."

"Why don't you just start at the beginning and explain it to me, so I can judge you and get it over with and then we can fix it before you crawl into your cave of angst and I have to lure you out with cookies and vodka?"

"Shut up, that was one time!" I laughed, despite myself.

"You were in your closet with the door shut for about three hours before I dragged your skinny ass out," he reminded me, raising his hands palm out when I glared at him. "I'm just saying. You have a flare for the emo, girl."

"Whatever," I muttered, sighing and resolving to just tell him and get it over with. I told him everything anyway, I knew I'd never be able to keep this from him.

"So yeah... ok. I was in Blessing with your brother, as you know. And I met with Leah and her lawyer, Jasper."

"Jasper?" Jake interrupted, eyebrow raised.

"I know, right? Jasper Whitlock, no less."

"Dude, his parents were not kind."

"That's what I said!"

"Does he have a handlebar mustache and smoke a pipe?"

I laughed and then sighed. "No... he's young..." I trailed off, not wanting to give too much away, and at the same time, having absolutely no idea how to describe Jasper.

A small part of me ached just thinking about him, picturing him in my mind.

"Young, you say?" Jake pressed, a small smile flirting with his face. "Young and perhaps even... attractive?"

"Yes, very. And kind and intelligent and Southern and... Isleptwithhim," I said in one breath.

"You did _what_?" Jake gasped, sitting up in one lithe moment, his eyes wide. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

I flopped back down, covering my eyes and groaning. "Yes! Alright, I slept with him. I'm a big fat whore, I get it. I just... he's so amazing and there was this... I don't know... crazy spark or something right from the first fucking minute and he's just this super good person and he was singing and his voice and... for fuck's sake, say something please so I can stop vomiting all my guilt like this!"

"I can't even... oh my god," Jake breathed. "I'm so excited and proud I can't even speak, Bells." He laughed, bouncing on the bed beside me.

I cracked an eye at him. His face was the picture of awe. "Proud? Are you high?"

"Not yet," he said, grinning and laying down on his stomach beside me. "But yes, proud. Dude, you've been wasting your life with that robotic piece of shit for years now, and it's obvious to anyone who knows you that you're just with him because it's easy--"

I snorted. "It's not fucking easy to be with James," I cut in.

"So why are you still with him?" he countered. "Is it for his charming personality? Or does he just have a monster cock?"

"Well, the dick _is_ decent, I'll give you that," I said, laughing. "But I'm with him because... because we've been together forever and he knows me and we fit and it doesn't make sense to throw all that away just because sometimes he's overbearing and annoying..." I trailed off, realizing with every word I had no real reason for staying with him other than... yeah, ok, it was easy. It was comfortable - even the frustrating things were familiar and therefore easy to overlook.

"Mmhmmm," Jake hummed, clearly inferring that I'd proved his point.

"Well, whatever... it doesn't even matter now. I got all... 'emo'," I shot him a look, "and flew back to Seattle as soon as the fact that I'd fucking cheated on my fiance sunk in, and then when I got here--"

"Let me guess... James was not alone?"

"Ding ding ding! Tell him what he's won, Johnny!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Are you ok?"

"Yes," I answered quickly, automatically. "No. I don't know. I don't know what the fuck to feel."

I scrubbed my hands over my face. "I came home feeling all guilty, nervous and just... sick with what I'd done and having to tell James about it and now it's like... none of it even matters. Even though what I did was wrong as hell - I don't know how I'm ever going to forgive myself, to be honest - it doesn't even matter because it's not like James wanted me anyway... it's not like he would even care." My voice broke on the last word, the enormity of the last couple of days finally settling over me like wet, wool blankets on my chest. I felt like I couldn't breathe with it pressing down upon me.

"Hey, hey," Jake said soothingly, rubbing my arm. "It's ok, Bells."

I knew it _would_ be, but in the moment all I could feel was the twin weights of guilt and rejection crushing me. I felt as though I had fallen into the very pit I'd tried my entire life to circumvent.

"No it's not," I whispered. "I'm just like Renee... except my Charlie is too busy fucking someone else to waste his life pining after my whorish ass."

"Ok, enough now," Jake said in a huff, pulling me upright and jerking my chin up so I met his eyes. "You are nothing like Renee. Stop this shit. If you want to consider what you did a mistake - personally, I find the fact that you fucked some pretty Southern boy reason enough to celebrate - that's your choice, your own issue... but you are not your mother. You came back; you were ready to own up to your mistake and fix it, unlike Renee who ran away. So enough with this, ok?"

I nodded bleakly. On an intellectual level I knew he was right, but I was so filled with the turmoil of the emotions swirling inside of me that I couldn't quite reconcile the rest of myself to it.

"Thanks, Jake," I said in a small voice.

"Hey, that's what beefs are for," he said, making me giggle with the way he always pronounced "BFF."

He pulled me into a hug and I rested my head on his shoulder. "What am I going to do?"

"Well, that depends, Bells," he said softly. "What do you _want_ to do?"

I pulled back, sitting crosslegged on the bed and playing with a loose thread. "I have no idea. I know... I know things with James are over. I mean, even if I was willing to overlook the fact that I'm pretty sure he's been cheating on me this entire time... he just looked so happy with her. Happier than I've ever seen him, and he was asleep at the time, for fuck's sake." I shook my head. "And I don't really know how I feel about that. I feel nothing. I keep waiting for it to hit me, and all I can manage to feel is a little bit sad over the fact that he didn't really want me. Shouldn't I be more upset about this? Shouldn't I be sobbing and wailing about my future husband cheating on me and feeling like my heart is broken? What is wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you, babe," Jacob assured me with a shrug. "I think the way you're feeling is just kind of telling about your relationship with James in general. Your connection never ran very deep."

I sighed, having no idea what to say to that. No idea if that was even true. I didn't want to examine my relationship with James too closely. I didn't want to admit to myself my failure - or that my willingness to stay with someone who was wrong for me was rooted in my own insecurities.

"What about Jasper?" Jake asked softly.

I swallowed hard. "I don't know. I've never been more attracted to anyone in my life, on a purely physical level. And beyond that he's... he's just this really amazing person. But I don't know if I can ever get over the fact that I cheated on my fiance with him. And... I mean, it's all kinds of wrong. Wrong town, wrong timing - hello, he's opposing council and he lives in the armpit of Texas and I'm just about to end my engagement to the guy I've been with for five years. I don't need this kind of complication in my life."

"I don't know, Bella." Jacob laughed, waggling his eyebrows. "Hot Southern boy sounds like a perfect kind of complication to me. I wouldn't mind him complicating me... if you know what I mean and I think you do."

"Shut up!" I laughed. "I'm so telling Embry you said that."

"Do it. We'll just use it to fuel some role-playing sexy times later."

"Oh my god," I groaned, covering my face in my hands. "I don't need to hear about this, you kinky fuck."

"Drink your juice and get your lazy ass out of bed. E's making us dinner."

"Fajitas?" I asked, perking up. Embry made the best fucking fajitas known to humankind and my mouth started watering at the thought.

"What else?" Jake asked, rolling his eyes.

"Yaaay!" I said before taking a healthy gulp of juice... and immediately spluttering. "Jesus Christ Jake, how about a little orange juice with my vodka. Shit."

"I thought you could use its restorative powers," he said, nodding sagely before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

"Damn right," I said before draining the glass.

I still had no fucking idea what to do, but at least I was no longer wallowing in my Cave of Angst.

**oOo**

James called the next morning. My hands shook and my stomach rolled as I stared at the caller ID. I wished I could just ignore the call, but I knew I needed to face it. Face him.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Bella," he began, his voice serious and full of authority. "We need to talk."

His tone rubbed me the wrong way. As far as he knew, he was the only one in the wrong. So why the fuck was he being so condescending with me?

"Yes, yes we do. Why don't you meet me at the Belle in an hour?"

There was a pregnant pause in which I knew he was struggling not to be annoyed with the fact that I'd taken it upon myself to set the parameters for the meeting. "Fine," he grit out. "See you then."

I wanted to vomit as I walked into the lobby of the Fairmont and into the restaurant an hour later. James, of course, was already there. He was always early. I could see from the set of his features he had his councilman face on: serious, business-like... blank.

I wondered how I'd managed to spend five years of my life with someone who could look at me like that. Especially now. At _this_ juncture. With this between us.

"Hi," I said softly as I sat down across from him.

"Hi," he said shortly, clearing his throat. "Look... I..." he began before the waiter approached and interrupted, asking for our drink orders.

We both stuck with water, though I dearly wanted an alcoholic beverage to calm my rioting nerves.

I looked at him expectantly when the waiter retreated with our orders, waiting for him to continue where he left off.

He cleared his throat. Again. I realized he was probably as nervous as I was, as unsure what to say. He hadn't met my eyes once since I'd joined him.

"James," I said, reaching across the table and squeezing his hand. "It's ok. I... well, I can't say I'm not angry, because I am. Finding out like that - for the second time - well, it wasn't fun, I'll tell you that. But, I don't fault you for it. You and I... we're not right for one another. Not really. I think I realize that now."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You're perfect for me, Bella. I don't know why I just can't..."

"I know," I agreed, knowing exactly what he meant though neither of us could find the words to articulate it coherently.

On paper, we were the perfect match. We looked like puzzle pieces that should glide together cleanly, smoothly. But in practice, in the day to day, while we fit, it was always a struggle to enmesh ourselves. The corners and curves never quite accepted one another. One of us always had to bend to fit.

"I'm sorry," he said, meeting my eyes for the first time. "Sorry you had to find out like this, sorry I kept it from you. I didn't want this to happen. Didn't want to hurt you like this. I know I haven't been great lately. I know I've been an asshole. It's just... it was getting more and more apparent to me that we didn't fit, that I needed something... more... and I couldn't figure out a way to reconcile that to myself. That's a shitty thing to say..." he trailed off, dropping his eyes again.

I let out a long breath, his words cutting me though I knew it was the truth that cut me deepest. "Yeah, it is. But... that doesn't mean it isn't true. I... I have to tell you something," I said, swallowing hard. I knew I could get away with never telling him of my own indiscretion, but I didn't want to end this with any dishonesty between us. Didn't want yet another burden of guilt upon my heart.

I took a deep breath. "I slept with someone. In Blessing. That's why I'm here. Why I came home." It felt as though I had to use a massive amount of energy and breath to push each short confession from my lips. The words wanted to stick in my throat, swollen with regret.

I saw his face and fist tightened. His lips and knuckles compress to white. And then he exhaled and relaxed. Nodded and took a sip of water. "Ok," he said. "Ok. I... I don't know what to say to that. But ok."

The waiter approached again, bringing our entrees. We sat in tense silence, pushing our food around our plates.

"So... what now?" he asked and my heart stuttered and stopped. "How do you want to handle this?"

I rubbed the heel of my hand over the ache in my chest and began the tedious process of decontructing my life with James.

**oOo**

"You gonna be ok, Bells?" Jake asked as he walked me to the security checkpoint at SeaTac.

I sighed. "I think so. It all just seems so surreal right now, but... I think it's for the best."

He nodded. "I think so too. Any idea what you're gonna do about your Southern gentleman?" he asked, nudging me playfully.

"I'm going to do absolutely nothing about him," I told him. I'd spent the majority of the previous night tossing and turning, hashing it out in my mind. "I... I just don't have room for this in my life right now. We're professional colleagues and we're going to remain that way until I can get the hell out of Blessing and back to my real life. Or whatever's left of it," I mumbled.

"We'll see," was all Jake said. "Call me when you land, Beef. And when/if you ever need someone to talk to. You know I'm always here for you."

"I know," I said, squeezing him tightly and kissing his cheek. "Thanks for everything."

**oOo**

I stepped off the plane in Victoria, Texas and waved to Sam, a feeling of deja vu coming over me. My job was the same, but my heart had changed. I had a greater understanding for Sam's actions and I could only hope that it would fuel me in my representation.

I resolved to throw myself into the case, to keep my mind occupied so it had no room to focus on Jasper.

I learned from my mistakes. I didn't repeat them.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Here's chapter 4, everyone. Thank you for being amazing and supportive, and for those of you who purchased a chapter, we love you. From here on out, the story will be more Jasper-centric. We needed to get some things handled for Ms. Swan first.

Thanks to **ElleCC **for being a stellar beta.

_Twilight_ names and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. We own the rest of it.

* * *

**JPOV**

"Good afternoon, Leah. Come on in and have a seat," I said, watching as she walked through the entrance of my office with her perfectly coiffed hair. She wore a pair of black slacks and a crisp, pale purple shirt and held a small, leather folder. She appeared to have it all together, at least outwardly. She looked confident and strong...

Until I looked at her eyes.

They were brown, dark and deep like Bella's, but they were empty somehow. Lost. Hurting.

The gentleman in me wanted to ask whether she was okay, but the lawyer in me told me to take care of business first. I'd be lying if I didn't also admit to wanting to ask about her personal life to detract my thoughts from focusing on my situation. It had been a few days since Bella left, and she hadn't removed herself from the case, but I hadn't heard a word from her either.

"Hi, Jasper," Leah greeted me. She took a seat and sniffed, and I took a look at her when her eyes were downcast, staring at the folder in her lap, and she looked so sad.

"Leah, how are you today?"

Slowly, she lifted her head to face me. "Well, I have kids asking why their father isn't living at home anymore, parents who think I'm a fool for marrying him in the first place and a divorce to get through, so be honest, Jasper: How do you think I am?"

I stared at Leah for a second and she blinked at me before remorse covered her features.

"I'm sorry, Jasper," she said in a softer voice, "It's just...it's not been easy, you know?"

I nodded. "Let's get through this quickly then, shall we?" I asked.

Leah and I ran through some basic information on court procedures and I confirmed the information she'd provided regarding their joint accounts. There was surprisingly little conflict over who, between the two of them, would be responsible for what bills they'd shared. Sam had already moved out and advised that he had no inclination to keep the house he'd lived in with his soon-to-be ex-wife and children as well, so really, that part of the conversation was incredibly quick and easy.

"Leah, have you given any further thought to the issue of giving Sam joint custody of the kids?" I asked in an innocent tone. I made sure that my eyes were downcast, and I was acting as though I was making some sort of note in her file so I didn't have to look at her when I said it.

The room was silent until Leah shifted in her seat, her heel clicking on the hardwood floors of my office. She didn't speak until I lifted my eyes from the paper before me.

"He cheated on me, Jasper. _Cheated_. On the mother of his kids and his high school sweetheart and the woman he swore to love forever. No, I haven't fucking reconsidered. Why the hell should I?"

I stopped myself from asking further questions of her. I didn't want to seem overbearing in my concern for Sam. Whether his wife was my client or not, I knew he was a good man. He didn't deserve to lose his kids. I had meant it when I said as much to Bella - I wanted to see Leah take a step back on her request for sole custody, but that moment was not the right one to broach the topic.

"How are you, Leah?" I asked. "Off the record, of course."

Her face was carefully blank as she stared at me for a moment, considering whether she should answer my question. Finally, she drew a shaky breath and said, "Do you know you're the only person who has asked me that since all this shit started?"

I didn't know how that was possible, and I said as much. In that fraction of time, it was like the desk between us became a dining room table, somewhere she was more comfortable, because Leah broke down.

Silent tears fell from her eyes as she spoke.

"You know, Jasper...I know how to be a mother. I know how to be a wife. I know how to love, and love hard. I know I can be fine without Sam..." Her voice fell away, and she sighed to herself. "I know I can, but the worst part of all of this for me is that it's convinced me that John Lennon was full of shit." She paused again, wiping trails of liquid from her cheeks. "Love is never enough. Do you know how badly I don't want to agree with that, Jasper?"

"Was Sam your first love?" I asked softly, after an appropriate period of quiet.

"Yes," she answered in a whisper. I dropped my pen to my desk as she stood up. "Are we done for today?"

I nodded and stood with her. Leah turned on her heel and headed for my doorway, but I called out to her just before she reached the exit.

"Leah, he loves those kids, and you know it. Regardless of anything else, you have to think of that."

I didn't say anything further. Leah blinked at me and then she was gone, and I was alone in my office, wondering if she was right.

Was love ever enough?

It felt as though the answer was a distinct "no."**  
**

**  
BPOV  
**  
I was tired, the weight of the last few days still a heavy burden on my shoulders, but I felt focused as I walked out of Sam's apartment after a quick meeting to touch base after my absence. I was so glad for this case, for the attention and time it took.

It was a welcome distraction from everything else I didn't want to think about.

It was a nice enough day to walk back to my hotel; still warm, I could feel the faint dampness on my skin, but the air was not leaden with heat as it had been when I'd first arrived in Blessing. It was less intense, less suffocating. A little softer.

I could relate.

I felt different. My head was still a swirling mass of tangled emotion. I couldn't find where one ended and another began, couldn't begin to unravel everything I was feeling. So I pushed it all away, pushed it back into the recesses of my mind labeled "Later" and concentrated on what was right in front of me: the case.

Unfortunately, the intricacies of Sam and Leah's divorce tugged on some of those knotted threads within me. The guilt, the confusion... they all resonated with me in a different way now. I'd lost my monochromatic view. My line in the sand had become blurred.

I wasn't sure what to do about that.

I rounded a corner, passing by the diner I'd eaten in my first night in Blessing. My stomach forcibly reminded me that I hadn't eaten all day, and since my single star hotel didn't run to room service, I figured I'd better stop and fuel up before I decided what to do with the rest of my day.

I needed to work. Badly. But in order to work, I needed the internet. And for the internet, I'd have to face Jasper.

I didn't know if I was ready for that quite yet.

The door to the restaurant jingled when I opened it, and Reba sang softly in the background as one of the waitresses looked up and gave me a friendly wave.

"Go ahead and get yourself a seat, honey. I'll be right over," she said as she continued to wipe down the counter.

I took a quick glance around the room before sliding into one of the red vinyl booths. There were a handful of other people sitting at the counter and booths; what looked like a couple of guys on their lunch break, a woman and her young son, and an older man eating a sandwich and reading the paper. They all looked up as I sat down. I grabbed the menu immediately, attempting to shield myself from their speculative stares.

I perused the requisite diner fare on the menu: burgers, sandwiches, meatloaf - the usual. I saw the waitress walking toward my booth from the corner of my eye and made a quick decision.

"Hey, hon, what can I get you?" she asked, drawing a pen from behind her ear.

I took one last look at the menu. "Umm... I'll have the club sandwich, please."

She nodded and jotted it down on her pad. "Anything to drink?"

"A Diet Pepsi, please."

"We only have Coke, that ok?"

I nodded and smiled; I couldn't have given less of a shit about in which brand of soda I was about to indulge. Anything bubbly and caffeinated would work for me.

She peered at me over her glasses. "You new in town or just visiting, honey?" she asked. The question caught me off guard; no waitress back home would notice or care if I was new in town - and for that matter, would never be so bold as to ask.

I cleared my throat. "I'm here on business, actually." I laughed a little bitterly.

"If you don't mind me asking, what in the heck kind of business would bring you to Blessing, child?" she asked with a wry grin I couldn't help but mirror.

I laughed a little. "I'm a lawyer. I'm here to represent my client in his divorce." I tried to keep my answer as vague as possible, though I knew it wouldn't be hard for her to figure out just whom I meant.

Recognition and something else I couldn't identify... concern, maybe, lit her eyes as she reached down and patted my hand. The feeling of her warm, soft hand on mine was startling and - pathetically - unfamiliar. I wondered briefly how long it had been since I'd experienced the comforting touch of another. The memory of another's touch, of the warmth and comfort of it, flitted across my mind but I pushed it back ruthlessly.

"Ahh, you're working with Jasper, then?" she asked.

I nodded, not trusting my voice to speak as heat inexplicably flooded my face.

_Fucking small towns._

"I was sorry to hear about the Uleys," she continued sympathetically. "You tell them Janice Hale is praying for them, ok?" I nodded a little numbly, unsure of what to say. She gave my hand one last squeeze and then walked off toward the kitchen to put in my order.

I blew out a breath, at once uncomfortable with and appreciative of the stranger's gesture of compassion. And really annoyed that she'd brought Jasper up - the one person that I really did not want to think about.

Needed a distraction, I dug my notebook from my purse, intending to reread my notes from my meeting with Sam. I'd only manage to read - well, try to read, anyway - a few lines when I heard a deep, rumbling voice beside me.

I turned to see one of the guys I'd assumed to be on lunch break hovering at the end of my booth. He was much taller than I'd thought, his skin browned from the sun, his black hair mussed beneath his hat. He shot me a cocky grin, his white teeth gleaming in contrast to the darkened skin of his face.

"Hello, ma'am," he said, his southern drawl laced with arrogance. "I couldn't help overhearing that you're new to town, and I wanted to be the first to welcome you. I'm Paul," he said, holding out his hand. I grasped it tentatively, not particularly wanting to touch him, but neither did I want to seem rude.

"Nice to meet you, Paul," I said as friendly as possible. "I'm Bella."

He held onto my hand, covering it with his other, large palm. His heat seeped into me, filling me with feelings wholly unlike that of the kind waitress. I was immediately uncomfortable.

"Well, Bella, looks like you fit the Blessing mold just fine," he said in what I'm sure he thought of as his smooth operator voice and winked.

He fucking _winked_ at me.

I was just putting on my trademarked Fuck Off Asshole smile and preparing to give the corny motherfucker the brush off, when Janice appeared behind him with my food. With her free hand, she smacked him in the back of the head, and I stifled a giggle at his shocked expression.

"You leave this young lady alone to eat her lunch, Paul Buchanan," she ordered, pushing in front of him to set my sandwich down in front of me. "You don't mind this one," she said to me. "He never did learn any manners."

"Aww come on, Miz J," he whined behind her, still sending me that cocky grin over her shoulder. "I was just being neighborly and offering to show Bella around sometime."

"Neighborly my behind," she returned. "I know good and well just what you were offering to show her, and from what I've heard, it's not much to look at anyway. I'm just saving her the trouble." There was a teasing tone to her voice, but even I, a stranger, could hear the warning beneath.

Paul's jovial expression never wavered. "Now, don't you be jealous, Miz J. You know I'd stop making time with all the girls if you'd just agree to run away with me."

She barked out a laugh and waved him away. "You get on now, Trouble. Let Miss Bella eat in peace."

He leaned around her to shoot me one last cocky grin and wink. "Nice to meet you, Bella. See you around." He sauntered away, clapping his friend on the back and walking out of the diner.

"Enjoy your lunch, darlin," she said with a pat on my shoulder as she walked away.

I sighed and picked up my sandwich. I turned my gaze to the notebook beside me, but was unable to concentrate. All I could think was how much Paul reminded me of James - so cocky yet innately charming, so charming you could almost overlook the condescension.

I shook my head to rid myself of the memories and the self-loathing and disappointment they brought with them. I couldn't dwell on the mistakes I'd made - I could only focus on the here and now and the road ahead. And that included winning this case. With new resolve, I dug a pen out of my purse and went back to my notes.

The attempt was as short-lived as the first. My eyes refused to focus on the words on the page; instead, they preferred to blur as my mind spun in dizzy circles around honey-colored hair, strong hands and a whiskey-laced voice.

I knew I needed to face him. To... what? Apologize? The truth was, I had no fucking clue what to say to him. I'd never been in this situation before.

I had a feeling saying something like, "Sorry, sir, you're swell and all, and in case my attacking you in your place of business and having the best sex of my life wasn't enough of an indication, I'm super attracted to you. But I'm kind of fucked up right now, so I'm gonna need you to pretend this never happened so I can get this bitch of a case done and go back home to try to piece together some semblance of a life. Thanks a million!" wouldn't go over very well.

I just needed to get it over with. He was a professional - he would understand. With a sigh, I pushed away my half-eaten sandwich and walked up to the counter to pay.

"Everything all right?" Janice asked when I handed her the bill.

I knew instinctively she was not just referring to the food, but I didn't feel like getting into it with a complete stranger, even if she was incredibly nice. I just nodded.

She handed me my change, squeezing my hand once again. "Everything will work out the way it's supposed to, Bella. Don't you worry," she said, offering me a smile full of understanding before pulling away and going back to the counter to refill another customer's coffee.

"Thanks," I murmured, though I knew she could not hear me. I sent her a wave over my shoulder as I walked out into the sun.

I slipped my sunglasses on and squared my shoulders as I looked down the street at the small sign on the doorway of Whitlock and Associates.

_I can do this._

_Que fucking sera_, and all that.

I dug out my cell phone, intent on letting Jasper know I'd be in the office the next day. And though I'd just given myself a mental pep talk, I couldn't help but silently pray that I would get his voicemail. An automated voicemail, hopefully.

The man's voice was criminal and what had gotten me into this mess in the first place, after all.

**JPOV  
**  
I felt nauseous. It was the kind of nausea that made it so that you didn't want to get up, you didn't want to move, for fear of vomiting or passing out or something else equally bad, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Bella Swan had left a clipped message early that morning, saying that she would be coming in to the office around eight in order to determine whether she'd be working from my extra room or elsewhere in Blessing.

And I was a bit of a goddamn wreck about it.

It made no sense - I wanted to see her. I knew I did. When she'd left like that, with no communication, no word about when or whether she'd come back, I was definitely upset, and it made no damn sense that I was just as upset over the idea that I was going to see her in roughly...fifteen minutes.

I swallowed thickly and began to shuffle through my papers. I had other small-time cases aside from the Uley divorce to think through, and just as I was settling in to review Mike Newton's claim against some big city dealer who had apparently refused payment for services McCarty had rendered, the door opened, and I heard her heels clicking across the hardwood floor of my office.

I kept my eyes cast downward until she acknowledged me. Call me petty, but I wanted to hear her say my name.

"Jasper?"

As I took her in, I cleared my throat. She was, of course, as beautiful as ever, and in the moment that I saw her, a thousand images of her sprawled over my desk, naked and writhing beneath me, her back arched as I touched her softest skin, flashed through my mind. _Aw, Hell, Whitlock, get it together_, I thought to myself. I could handle this. I had to.

My voice was tight as I spoke, but I managed a quiet, "Bella."

"I'm sorry about what happened between us; I take full responsibility for it. However, we both have a job to do and we need to remain professional for the remainder of my time in Blessing. If you'd rather me work something else out for internet access so we don't have to interact with each other outside of when it's necessary, let me know now, please."

I stared at her for a beat, actually floored at some of her words. "You take full...Look, Bella, it takes two to tango, all right? And you can work here. I won't bother you; you won't bother me. Do what you need to over there in that extra office, and I'll stay out of your hair."

I hated the way I sounded. In my head, it was as though I was a petulant child, whining because someone didn't like me, didn't want me. I knew my words had come off stronger than that, but the fact remained that I felt slighted by her little speech. It almost seemed that she was talking down to me, telling me things I already knew, and the fact that she actually said she took responsibility for something that I was an active participant in made my nausea grow exponentially. What I wanted to say was that I'd been thinking of her day in, day out since that evening she arrived in town. What I wanted to say was that I could still remember precisely how she felt all warm and perfect around me, but I didn't say anything.

Instead, I looked her in the eye for a second and focused my gaze back on the Newton files. After what seemed like a long time, I heard her heels click a handful of times and then listened as she powered up her laptop in my extra room. When the familiar tapping of keys began, I dropped my papers to my desk and turned my chair around, looking out of the small window that was on the wall behind me. It was set high, and it allowed sunlight to shine into the room wonderfully. As I stared out of it, I wondered what the hell I was going to do with this big city girl who had taken up residence in my brain and, for a second time, my office.

I'd been full of shit when I said her presence wouldn't bother me. I wanted to know everything about her. I wanted to play twenty questions. I wanted to hear her talk to me all damn day about nothing in particular.

I spent a few more minutes staring out of the window, trying to catch my bearings, and then turned around and made a few phone calls. Bella seemed irritated all day, and more than once, when she was in the common area using the fax machine or making copies, I caught her looking at me.

There was one time though, when she was scanning a document, that I made a stunning discovery.

As I watched her press the keys on the control panel of the all-in-one machine, I noticed that the ring - the huge rock that had forever tied her to another man in my mind - was gone.

It was _gone_.

She wasn't engaged anymore? What had happened? Was she all right?

Too many questions were colliding in my mind, and for the rest of the day, I was useless, thinking through scenarios regarding what had happened on her quick jaunt back to Seattle instead of accomplishing any real work. So, around four that afternoon, I packed up my things and found myself standing before Bella as she typed away in an email program she had installed on her laptop.

"Bella, I'm leaving for the day," I said. "Here's an extra key," I paused, handing the small metal thing to her, "so make sure you lock up. I'll likely be in late tomorrow." Even as the words slipped forth between my lips, I wanted to kick myself. _She doesn't care what time you'll be in_, I self-scolded. _Get the hell out of here, Whitlock_.

But then, a small look of something that wavered between disappointment and measured indifference flashed in her eyes.

Before I could start to over-think it, she spoke. "Thanks for the key, Jasper. That...Thanks for trusting me with it. And all right, I'll see you tomorrow then." Bella's voice was low and soft, and I didn't let myself look her in the eye.

I nodded once, made a clip turn on my heel, and moved toward the door. Just as I stepped through the doorway, I softly said, "Good night, Isabella Swan."

I moved swiftly to my car, knowing full well where I was headed, and when I sat down in the driver's seat, I glanced through the glass panel on the door and found her eyes glued on my face, her right hand frozen in mid air, as though she was about to pick up a pen to make some sort of note.

Before she could break our matched gazes, I turned the car on and reversed out of my spot, surprising relieved to be physically away from her, if only for an evening.

The drive was quick, as I knew it would be. I could make it with my eyes closed, without even paying attention to the roadway, which was a good thing, because my brain was back in the office, analyzing whatever this...tension between Bella and me was. Part of me knew it was sexual, on my end at least; I still wanted her, wanted to feel her skin beneath my fingertips, to feel her body, bare and contoured to mine. But what could it have been on her side? I couldn't decipher her long looks or fleeting glances. It was part of why I had to leave - there was no way I could concentrate on anything knowing she was staring at me like that, and it was driving me nuts.

I came upon the ranch and sighed in relief. No matter how old I was, this was always home. It was always a place I could find peace, and I found it easier to clear my head here than anywhere else. The horses trotted toward the house as I moved up the drive, and I smiled as I felt the ease of the place begin to glide over me.

The fields were rolling and beautiful, and the house was made of white siding with a dark blue trim, with both a back and front porch and, because my Gram required it, there was a swing at the side of the house. It was wooden and Gramps had made it when I was twelve, but it was as sturdy today as it ever was then.

I parked and cast a fleeting glance at my papers, in a messy pile in the passenger side seat. After a moment's worth of internal debate, I mumbled, "Fuck it," and climbed out of my car.

As soon as I took my first breath outside of the car, I couldn't help but smile. I was only thirteen minutes from downtown Blessing, but the air was better here. Cleaner. Simpler. Just how I liked it. I shoved my keys into my pocket, inhaled deeply, and walked toward the house.

She was waiting for me, as always.

"Jasper, honey, can I get you a drink?"

I smiled as I made my way up the three steps at the center of the front porch. My Gram smiled at me, her gray hair pulled back into a low, loose ponytail. She and Gramps had taken me in as a toddler, and she had always somehow just known what it was I needed. The love and support they had given me when no one else would was not something I would ever forget, and I respected them both more than any other individuals in the world. "Water would be good, Gram," I replied. "Thank you."

"No problem, sugar. You come on in and take a seat. I could see something was eating at you when you came through the gate." Her voice was serious, but I grinned in response.

"Gram, you know you couldn't actually see me all that way down there," I teased.

"Doesn't matter," she replied, tapping her forehead with a knowing look on her face. "I just know. Now get on inside and sit down."

I chuckled under my breath and held the door for her. I followed her into the kitchen and took a seat, smiling widely as I took in the familiar pale tan counters and dark wooden cabinetry. It felt good to be home.

Before too long, she deposited a tall glass of ice-cold water on the table and then took a seat across from me, her eyebrows raised in expectation.

I sighed. There was really no point in lying to her. She knew me too well, and besides, I respected the woman too much to attempt to feed her some stupid line about how none of this situation with Bella was bothering me. Besides, Gram was always able to give me the perspective I needed.

"You know the Uley case?" I began.

She nodded, a look of realization dawning in her eyes. I didn't bother asking what that was about, but continued my explanation, woefully rambling as I tried to gloss over the fact that Bella and I had slept together. There were just some things that should remain secret.

"My opposing council and I...I don't know what we have. But we have something. Or maybe we had something. She's...well, she was engaged, and then she disappeared for a few days, but she's back now, and she doesn't have her ring on..." I paused and sipped my water as I contemplated how to phrase the last point I wanted to make. My grandmother waited patiently, a pleasant look on her lovely face. I cleared my throat, and then said, "And she's cold. Distant. It's like she's pushing me away, and Gram? Gram, I can't handle it. I can't deal with it. I need more than that...I can't... I just..."

Her voice cut me off gently, like a soft breeze on a perfect spring day. "Jasper, honey, I met her at the diner. That girl has some big things going on in that pretty head of hers. It's plain as day, and I've only ever said a handful of words to her. You be patient, boy. She'll come around. Let her work through all the mess in her head first, you hear me?"

I nodded. "But, Gram? Do I...do I say anything? I honestly have no idea..."

She stood up, her hands pressing into the tabletop, and smiled serenely. "You'll know when the time is right, baby boy. Don't you worry _your_ pretty head. I'm going to watch Maury. I'll be in the living room if you need me." I drained the rest of my water, and as she stepped through the doorway leading from the kitchen to the living area, she called over her shoulder. "Your guitar is on your bed, Jasper. I figured you might want it, so I took it out of the case.

She always knew.

I grinned and walked out of the kitchen, through another hallway and straight into my room. Jane was on my mattress, and as old and scuffed as she was, I was happy to see her. I'd probably spent more time with Jane than any of my fellow students in high school and college, and I could feel the tingling in my fingertips beginning already.

I picked her up gently and, without a second thought, headed to the back porch.

I sat in my chair - no one else ever used it, but Gram and Gramps always kept it out for me - and slowly tuned my guitar as I let my mind roam. It felt different here, as though it was easier to see through the bullshit. To see past my emotional turmoil and face the facts.

The guitar was tuned and ready quickly, and a familiar melody began cycling through my head as my fingers found their way to the strings. I played through the introduction, my lightly calloused fingers easily gripping the instrument, and as the lyrics began, I nearly laughed, they were so easily applicable.

"Come to me with a gentle touch, love so real, but it was far too much," I sang lowly, my head shaking as I closed my eyes and allowed myself to get lost in the music I was creating.

As usual, my mind disconnected as I sang the familiar lyrics, and I found myself focused on Bella. On my Gram's words of advice. I found myself contemplating what exactly I wanted from Bella. I thought about how cold her words seemed and then about the emotion I couldn't label that I'd seen swimming in her eyes all day, and I couldn't help but wonder:

Was it possible that she wanted me as badly as I wanted her? That she was effectively not dealing with whatever the hell was going on between us by pushing it away and remaining professional? Or did she, like me, feel overwhelmed at the intensity of our initial interactions? Was it all too much, too fast?

Innumerable questions flowed to and fro in my brain and as I felt the pain beginning in my fingers - it had been a good chunk of time since I'd played last - it was therapeutic.

The music was my literal release; I felt my stress waning, my mind clearing itself of clutter as I continued through the remainder of the tune. I began another of Ray's songs, making the transition between "Please" and "Let It Be Me" easily. The weight of the guitar felt good in my hands and balanced on my thigh, and I opened my eyes, watching the day slowly move to dusk as I played.

The longer I strummed, the more clear things became, and by the time I carefully leaned Jane against the wall nearest me, I felt a quiet sense of peace surround me.

I had made up my mind.

I would do exactly what Gram had said I should: I would let Bella be for the time being, to allow her time to process whatever was going on in her head and heart. But one day, we would talk about us. If that conversation had to be initiated by me, then so be it. In truth, I wanted her to come to me, for her to take the first step in figuring out what the hell was going on between us. Somehow, I knew that the story between Bella and me was far from over; I knew there was more to come, and though I had no idea what, I felt a sort of resolve in the fact that I could wait a little longer for whatever came next.

I couldn't help but smile as I considered one of the lines from "Please."

_I was born to kiss your mouth._

I remembered the feel of Bella's lips on mine, of the sweet taste of her mouth, and couldn't help but feel that the words were perhaps true. I wanted her. I needed her.

I stood up as I heard Gram call out my name, telling me dinner was ready, surprised that a couple hours had passed as I'd mused on Bella and our predicament, but completely grateful as well, because there was less pressure pounding in my chest. My resolve made me calmer, more sure that I could handle seeing Bella on a daily basis. It was still true that I couldn't handle being "just friends" with Bella, but for now, I could be in limbo.

For a little while, anyway.

* * *

**AN:** Mmm, Jasper and a guitar. Leave Lawsper some love. BB needs it, don't you think?


	5. Chapter 5

Hello Lawsperites! So happy to see you all gathered here once more. We're starting to get to the good stuff. *fist pump*

Thanks, as always, to Elle our lovely betafish and to the gorgeous girls who purchased these chapters in the FGB auction last fall. There would be no Lawsper singing while Jane gently weeped without you.

Stephenie Meyers owns Twilight (and her own published work of fanfiction!) and Lynyrd Skynyrd owns the name.... but we own Lawsper.

* * *

**BPOV**

It had been a tense few days at Whitlock and Associates. Not that anything either of us said or did was anything other than professional, but there was so much unspoken between us that you could almost see it hovering in the air like smoke.

We didn't talk much, but when we did it was centered on strictly innocuous topics. We never delved into anything personal, or anything related to the case that would not be considered appropriate to say to opposing council.

Opposing council. I suppose that was as good a descriptor as anything else. It was as though we were circling one another in the ring, waiting for the other to make a move, to do something to interrupt the awkward dance we were stumbling through every day.

I knew he was still attracted to me. I would catch him looking at me with an almost whimsical expression on his face from time to time. When he would realize he was caught, his face would always harden imperceptibly before carefully smoothing into a blank mask of polite indifference.

I hated it.

As much as I knew this was necessary, as much as I knew this was right-- we had no business being anything other than colleagues-- I hated the dance, the careful circles we walked around one another.

It was just hard to know where to draw the line.

I still felt that pull in my gut every time I looked at him, still felt the lightning flash of electricity every time our eyes met. My body still quivered when I entered a room he'd recently been in and caught the faint scent of his cologne.

And the dreams. I can't even speak about the fucking dreams. Flashes of lean muscle and lightly tanned skin, honey blond hair and eyes that were burning blue. And the song. Always the same song. The sugar and whiskey voice always echoed in my head as I woke, sweaty and tangled and buzzing in my hotel bed.

But, I couldn't-- I wouldn't-- let it get to me. I had a job to do while I was here, and nowhere in the job description did it list fucking and then obsessing over the opposing council. I knew in just a few short weeks I would be out of this god forsaken town and back in Seattle, trying to rebuild my life. That life didn't include Blessing, Texas, and I knew it most certainly did not include the Southern gentleman lawyer who haunted my dreams.

So, despite the fact that I missed the friendship we'd had before I'd allowed sex to ruin everything between us, I knew this painfully awkward professionalism was for the best. Even if it was glaringly obvious that we were both faking our way through every day.

It was for the best.

At least, that's what I told myself. Daily. Sometimes hourly.

Sometimes with every breath when I could feel his presence buzzing around me as though the air had a pulse.

_Get a grip, Bella._

I gathered my things, finally giving up and admitting that I wasn't getting anything done. I'd been sitting at my desk, staring at the same document on my laptop for the last hour, and I was pretty sure I hadn't even managed to read one goddamn word. My entire being was focused on the man in the next office, a mere twenty feet away. I could just make out the music he had playing on the lowest setting, but his gravelly hum as he listened was perfectly clear.

I could concentrate on nothing else. It was as though I could feel those husky vibrations on my skin. I shivered involuntarily at the thought.

It was definitely time to go.

I had an incredible amount of work to do after my unexpected trip to Seattle mid-case and didn't have time to waste sitting there, staring blindly at my laptop. I printed out several documents I planned to go over that night in the hotel room-- hopefully with the company of some form of alcoholic beverage. I shoved my laptop in my bag and grabbed my keys before heading over to Jasper's office. I rapped lightly on the door frame to alert him of my presence, trying not to look everywhere but him.

Key word: trying.

My eyeballs zeroed in on him of their own accord. Mussed hair, as though he'd been running his hands through it all evening. Furrowed brow. Pursed lips.

_Soft lips ghosting from my jaw to my neck, leaving soft, wet kisses on my overly sensitive skin. Warm lips on my collarbone...._

_Okay, enough of that, Bella._

I cleared my throat, steeling my traitorous mind against the images it was only too happy to play in an unending loop. "Hey, I'm heading out. See you tomorrow," I said in what I meant to be merely a casual voice but came out clipped and cold.

_Overcompensate, much?_

He looked up, his eyes cloudy for a moment before they cleared. He looked... almost sad. But then they closed off again, the veil of distance shuttering the blue depths. "Have a good night, Bella," he said absently, returning to his work.

"You too," I murmured as I walked to the door.

_It's for the best_, I reminded myself as guilt threatened to overtake me.

**oOo**

"Goddamnit!" I raged, rifling through the papers spread out on the bed for the third time. "No, no... please no."

I repeat: goddamnit. I'd, once again, left a file at the office. And not just any file, but _the_ file I needed in order to get anything resembling progress made tonight.

I would have to go back to the office and retrieve it. I just didn't have the luxury of wasting time at this juncture in the case.

"Fuuuuuck," I sighed, dropping my head on the desk.

With a groan, I pulled on a hoodie and shoes and grabbed the key I would hopefully need to let myself into Whitlock and Associates after hours. The walk was short and the late evening air felt nice after the stuffiness of my hotel room. I used the time to give myself a mental pep talk. Kind of.

_Are you there, God? It's me, Bella. Please let Jasper be gone by the time I get there. And if that's too much to ask, please let him have developed some horrible disfiguring yet non-life threatening disease in the three hours since I last saw him. Thanks a million, God. _

Unfortunately, I could see the light was still on in Jasper's office when I rounded the corner.

_Damn it. Here's hoping for a sudden outbreak of elephantitis or something._

The door made an obscenely loud creaking noise as it opened and I mentally berated Jasper for not WD-40ing the fuck out of it like any self-respecting business owner would have. Probably.

I stepped into the office, the dim light from Jasper's office barely illuminating the entry way. I flipped on the light and gasped when it revealed the hunched figure of Jasper. He was crouched just outside of "my" office, as though he'd bent to pick up something that had fallen. And in his hands was the very folder I'd returned for.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I spat. Was he spying on my case briefs when I wasn't here? Did he do this every night? Fucking bastard, I knew his offer was too nice to be true.

"What?" he asked, startled. He looked from me to the folder in his hands, understanding dawning. "No! I mean, it isn't what it looks like. I was walking out and saw the folder on the floor and was picking it up for you. That's all. Promise I didn't... look... at anything." He cleared his throat, extending his hand and offering the folder to me, though I was still on the other side of the room.

His eyes never quite met mine, but I could see the emotions lingering there. Sadness. Frustration. Defeat.

I knew exactly what he was feeling.

I sighed as I crossed the room.. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. And for jumping to conclusions. I just... it's just been a long week and I'm bitchy." I ran my hands through my hair. "I know better than to think that of you, you've never been anything but professional..." I trailed off, our eyes meeting. I knew we were both thinking of the same thing.

Of the time when neither of us had been even remotely professional.

Fused lips, tangled tongues, mingled breaths. Hot hands on trembling skin. And that one electric moment when flesh had engulfed flesh and each breath had been a whispered name.

My face heated even as my body quaked in remembrance. I couldn't tear my gaze from his: blue flame searing me, burning through all my carefully constructed defenses. His breath turned ragged, and he moved almost imperceptibly closer toward me.

With a gasp and a measure of self-preservation I didn't even know I possessed, I snatched the folder from his hands and ran out the door.

My chest heaved as I practically ran back to the hotel, my mind a chaos of remembered sensations. I slammed the door, leaning back against it and rubbing the heel of my hand over my racing heart.

When I finally managed to fall into a restless sleep that night, my dreams were plagued with electric blue and the murmured plea of, "What now?"

**JPOV**

I was standing in my bathroom, a towel wrapped loosely around my waist as I stared into the mirror. This morning was the first joint meeting with Sam and Leah that I was hopeful about. It seemed that I'd made some serious headway last time she was in my office, and even though I'd been able to easily apply the twisting thoughts she was embroiled in to my own life, it still made me happy that there seemed to be a real chance she would renege on her refusal to allow Sam visitation of his kids.

I would see it as a victory if that ever happened, because Sam deserved a relationship with his kids as much as Leah did, even if he was "the guilty one".

So, I was most definitely glad that there seemed to be progress on that front, but to be honest that was, quite frankly, the furthest thing from my mind.

My mind was on Bella and the previous evening.

In some ways, working with her was my own version of hell. Yes, I was resigned to wait until she worked through whatever was going on in that gorgeous mind of hers, but I was still a man. A completely heterosexual, completely _attracted_ man, and the fact that she sashayed around my office in those goddamn skirts and those fitted slacks and shirts and those heels was enough to kill me.

Alright, so maybe she wasn't sashaying. Maybe she was just walking, but Jesus, I couldn't help but notice her every move.

She'd caught me staring on more than one occasion, and it felt a bit like we were going to implode-- either one or both of us-- if something didn't give soon.

This thought was confirmed when Bella had shown up at the office the night before to pick up a file.

Who knew a file folder would be the instrument that catalyzed the absolute lust that had been floating around the office, stifling in its depth even if I was pretty sure it was one-sided?

As I looked into her phenomenal eyes, I was instantly lost. Some of the hesitation was gone from them, and the cocoa color seemed lighter, more alive perhaps, though I didn't know if she was aware of it. Her face was flushed from the walk, and as I took in the faint blush on her skin, I found myself, once again, hyper aware of her. Her hair, her body, the placement of her hand on the folder...and then she let out a nearly imperceptible sigh. Without meaning to, I took half a step toward her, my body moving me closer to the thing I wanted, this person I was so goddamn enraptured with.

And then she'd yanked the file from me and ran.

But not before I saw it.

_I saw it. _

Desire. Longing. The heat that I'd seen the first time she'd left a file, the night I'd taken her on my desk. Glazed over all of that was a sheen of sadness, perhaps guilt still. It bothered me that she continued to take sole of responsibility for the situation between us.

But at that moment, I let it go, because she still wanted me.

As the door creaked and I watched her rush down the street through the window, I was frozen, my heart pounding in my ears and my mind and body in fucking overdrive as I let the aftereffects of Bella wash over me. Her attraction to me remained, and thanks to that knowledge, I felt a smirk melt onto my face.

_Soon_, I thought. _Hopefully. _

"Whatever soon means." Back in the present, I mumbled to myself and glanced at the clock. Even a morning after that moment with her, I found myself impacted by her beauty and the sheer force of her desire. I'd been moving sluggishly all goddamn day. I snapped into motion, brushing my teeth and dressing quickly before I locked up and moved to my car.

As I drove to the office, I hoped the meeting would go smoothly and that significant progress would be made on the case.

And that maybe some progress for Bella and me would begin as well. Significant or not, I'd take what I could get.

"Good morning, Jasper," Leah said, as I unlocked the door and stepped inside with her. "How are you?"

I smiled good-naturedly at her. "I'm well, Leah. Come, have a seat at my desk. Sam and his lawyer will be in shortly," I replied, gesturing toward the desk at the back of the room.

I followed Leah, and was surprised to note that she was quieter this morning than I'd ever seen her. Something was up, and I had no idea what was going on. I sent up a prayer to whoever was listening that this was a good sign.

Bella and Sam walked in a few minutes later, and despite the fact that I told myself not to pay attention, I took note of Bella's hair. Pieces were falling down from the messy bun she was wearing on the back of her head, and I fought away the desire to walk up to her and pull the chopstick that was holding it in place out of her face, and allow the dark waves to cascade around her shoulders. "Miss Swan, Mister Uley, good morning," I said in a tone I hoped was crisp, nodding toward the two chairs I'd pulled out last night before I left.

"Jasper," Sam said, tipping his hat as he took a careful seat two chairs away from his soon-to-be ex-wife. His uncertainty was tangible and I felt a compulsion to offer him something stronger than the water that I had in the office. Bella spoke, though, effectively starting our meeting.

She passed out a few copies of Sam's petitions - he wanted nothing monetary, aside from half of the investments he and Leah had made together. She could keep the house and he wanted her to have full custody of their children, but was, understandably, insistent on having visitation rights.

I reviewed the document and discussed some of the detail with Leah. When the time came for her to respond to me, I was positive that every other person in the room-- myself included-- was holding his or her breath.

She cleared her throat and looked at the paper in her lap, her slender wrists still lying on her thighs. When she lifted her eyes, she looked not at her husband but me, meeting my gaze with a frighteningly broken set of brown eyes. "I'll think about it," she said, and her words were more like a promise than a simple sentence.

I nodded, and in that shared moment, I realized that our little conversation a few days earlier must have had some serious impact on her. "Alright. We'll discuss that in a solo meeting." Leah blinked her approval, and then I said, "Miss Swan, did you have any other items you wished to address tonight?"

When I looked at Bella, her eyes were the opposite of Leah's. Mrs. Uley's had been dull, empty almost. Bella's were rife with emotion, some unnamed, some clear as day. Expectation and confusion and need floated around with things I couldn't label as she went through a short list of questions she had for me, including some clarifications on Leah's money-- the family kind, not that which she and Sam had made together.

Two hours went quickly, and before I knew it, Bella was walking Sam out, and I was left with Leah at my desk, the office still quiet as a church on a Tuesday morning.

When Sam and Bella were standing safely outside and therefore out of earshot, I asked softly, "Are you alright, Leah?"

She didn't lift her gaze this time, but her voice was quiet and light somehow. "Yes, Jasper. Thank you for your compassion; it means more than I can rightly say. I'm going to go now, but I'll think about this...some more...and let you know what I decide."

I nodded and stood as she left me. Once she was gone, I sat down, opening my email to read through some notes I'd received from other clients. When Bella stepped back into the office, she came and stopped before my desk, her arms wrapped loosely around her waist, each hand clasped into a petite fist at her hips.

I looked up and lifted my eyebrows. "Hi, Bella," I said, lamely. "What's up?"

"How did you do that?" she asked, and I didn't need to her to explain that her question was in regard to Leah's more subdued nature.

"Ah. Well." I looked her in the eye and attempted a smile for the first time since she'd returned to Blessing. "I'm magic," I replied.

A staccato laugh fell from her lips and it was the most glorious thing I'd heard since...well, since I'd listened to her whispering my name weeks prior, as we both found heaven in a simple bodily connection. "Magic," she repeated, and pursed her lips in my direction, one corner pulled upward.

"Yes, ma'am. Magic," I repeated, winking and allowing my smile to fade to a grin as I realized that I was flirting and she wasn't pushing me away. "No, seriously. She and I had a good talk a few days back, and I guess it made an impact on her."

Bella's hands fell away from her body and she took a step closer to my desk. "Well, thank you. On behalf and both Sam and myself...I think we might have a real chance to allow the relationship he deserves with his kids to flourish."

I nodded. "I agree. But we'll keep this little conversation quiet, yeah?"

And then she smiled softly at me, and after my heart began to palpitate in an odd rhythm, she said, "You really are a nice guy, aren't you?" in a voice that almost made me weep, it was so sweet. It was so far removed from the snark and attitude I'd seen her showcase so often, I wondered if she was okay.

But I knew better than to push it. I leaned back in my chair, placing my elbows on its padded arms, and answered her honestly. "I do what I can, Bella. Every day. Large or small."

She stared at me for a brief moment, and then turned over her shoulder, walking back to her office. I didn't lower my gaze until I could hear her fast and furious typing echoing in the space around us.

That evening, when we were both prepared to go home for the day, I was contemplating a trip to Gram's again, to spend a little more quality time with Jane. I thought I needed a little release-- something to expend the energy that seemed to be pent up within my bones. Bella and I stepped onto the front stoop of the office, and as I was locking the door, she said my name.

"Jasper?"

"Yes'm," I replied, turning to face her and putting the keys in my pocket. I moved my files from one arm to another and waited, a look of what I'm sure was expectancy on my face.

"Do you..." She paused, biting her bottom lip for half a second before she continued. "Do you think we could be friends? I mean, if you have an aversion to the idea, given..."

"I don't," I said, cutting off her flow of conversation. I could almost hear the rambling that she was about to meander her way through, and there was no need for that. " Have an aversion to us being friends, I mean."

Her face moved from crestfallen to genuinely happy, and she said, "Oh. Well...good. Great. Um. I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Bright and early, Miss Swan."

After giving me a quick grin, she said, "Good night, Jasper," and walked back toward her hotel.

It might have been me reading into things, but I could have sworn there was some kind of pep in her step, one that hadn't been there before.

I walked to my car, my smile unavoidable. The engine roared to life and I realized I would be okay to spend the evening at my house, sans Jane, because my mind was in an amazingly clear place and my drive home was filled with exactly one thought:

I thought about my hopes from earlier in the day, how I wished for progress both in the case and my personal relationship with Bella, and realized things had shifted regarding both. _Significant, then. I'll take it. _

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Significant, eh? What do you think?

You guys, we are so excited about the next couple of chapters. There might have even been some virtual squeeing. Leave Lawsper some love and sit tight, some fun stuff is on its way.

*mwah!*


	6. Chapter 6

_Hello Lawsperites! So happy to see you all gathered here once more. We're getting to the good stuff. *fist pump*_

_Thanks, as always, to Elle our lovely betafish and to the gorgeous girls who purchased these chapters in the FGB auction last fall. There would be no Lawsper singing while Jane gently weeped without you._

_Stephenie Meyers owns _Twilight_ and Lynyrd Skynyrd owns the name.... but we own Lawsper.

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_

**JPOV **

The last few days had been markedly less tense in my office.

Well. Kind of.

Bella was still sashaying around the office in those goddamn skirts and heels, but she'd added humming to the situation, which was sexy as hell and relieving all in one. Sexy because her humming was husky, somehow, and when paired with the way her curves were subtly showcased thanks to her work-wear, it was nearly too much for me to handle. As a result, I'd spent more time than I'd care to admit remembering the night she'd come back to my office and I'd seen her with nothing covering her porcelain skin. And relieving because she was more relaxed and it showed; along with her humming, she even made small talk on a regular basis, which made the atmosphere in the office less tense.

Even if I _was_ daydreaming about her warmth surrounding me and her soft skin and the taste of her tongue against mine.

All that to say that by the time Friday rolled around, I was a walking, talking pile of nervous energy, and although I'd told myself I would wait and see what she wanted, that I would allow whatever this thing was between us to unfold on her terms, I'd had just about enough.

As I walked up to her desk, I swallowed and realized there were no butterflies in my stomach. There was no anxiety anywhere in the vicinity as I grinned down at her as she leered at her computer screen with her lips pursed. I was ready. She would be, too.

"Bella?"

She lifted en eyebrow before looking at me, and I watched as her fingers wrapped tightly around the pen she was holding. "Jasper." The corners of her lips were turned up slightly, and in response, I leaned forward, my palms pressed flat onto her desk.

When she gulped audibly and angled her face toward mine, I couldn't help allowing my grin to grow into a smile. We just looked at each other for half a minute as I stood there, and then I spoke.

"Bella, it's been a goddamn long week," I began, standing back up and moving quickly to sit along the ledge of the desk nearest her, "what would you say to a drink or three?"

She turned her chair and crossed her long, slender legs in front of me. "I'd say I could be on board for that if dinner is included," she replied softly, moving her eyes to meet mine.

"That can be arranged, sugar," I said, unable to keep my tone from putting all of my feelings for her on display. My voice was heavy, somehow, filled with longing and frustration, and when she moved to stand, her body mere inches from mine, I felt abuzz, as though all of my nerve endings were firing one by one, making it difficult to remain standing still.

Bella smiled shyly at me and nodded as she spoke. "Let's go, Jasper."

I nodded, keeping my chin tucked into my chest as I gestured grandly toward the door. Bella picked up her purse and walked past me. I followed, and when we were both standing just outside of the building, I locked up and looked down at her. Even in her heels, she was a good number of inches shorter than me, and I grinned. "I'm sure that you're aware that we've only got a handful of options here in Blessing. How do you feel about Walker's?"

"Does Walker's have hot wings?" she asked, her voice deceptively flat. I nodded. "Fucking score. Let's go."

"Did you walk over this morning, Bella?" She nodded. "Walker's is a couple blocks North of here...would you mind if we just walked over? It's a beautiful night, and there's an nice breeze."

She grinned. "You want to walk to Walker's?"

In response, I smiled back at her. "I suppose I do, miss," I said, donning an exceptionally Texan accent over my natural, more subtle one.

She laughed and I realized that, for the first time in the entirety of our acquaintance, neither of us was holding files or taking work home for the weekend. We were just two adults going for a light dinner and beer... who happened to have had sex in the past. On a desk. In my office.

I swallowed and banished those thoughts to the back of my mind as I turned on my heel and headed toward Walker's.

Bella's heels clicked just behind me, and I slowed so that she could keep up. "Do you have plans this weekend, Jasper?" she asked.

"Not a one. I'll probably go see my Gram at some point," I admitted, knowing full well that I'd want to tell my grandmother that things had gotten easier and more comfortable between Bella and me.

She laughed lowly and said, "Well, that's cute, Jasper."

I had to admit...hearing her say my name was entirely too enticing.

"What is?"

"You. Going to see your grandma. Would I know her at all? It's not like Blessing is a big place..."

I chuckled. "No, it's not. And probably. She works at the little place over on Brazos."

"Wait...is Janice your..."

I cut her off with a smile. "That's my Gram." Bella cocked her head to the left, her brow furrowing just slightly as she froze in place for a moment. I took a step before she moved again, and then we walked forward together, in silence.

We arrived then, and took our seats, the topic of my grandmother quickly closed as the waitress arrived at our table.

Heidi took our drink orders – Bella ordered a vodka and tonic, and I took whiskey with a splash of Coke – and when I ordered, I noticed Bella flush slightly, but decided to say nothing about it, instead bringing up the Uley case, if only temporarily.

"You know I can't get into this too much, but I'm hoping I'll have an update for you regarding the custody issue this week," I said, sipping my water. Bella was leaning on her left hand, aimlessly stirring the water in her glass with a straw held lightly in her right.

She didn't look at me initially, and began to speak with her eyes facing away from me. "Thanks for that, Jasper. Really." When she turned her face to mine, a barely there smile was on her face, and we began to talk about our history. She told me about attending school in Washington, about what had initially drawn her into the study of law. I told her about living in Blessing, the things I liked and didn't, and about going away for school.

"Why do you live here, Jasper?" she asked. "It's such a small town...you're talented. You could go places."

I stared at her for a second before she began to fumble over her words again.

"I mean...shit, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I just mean you could be a partner, probably, in a large firm, making crazy money, and instead, you're here, in Blessing, working on your own. Why?" Her face was earnest as she looked up at me, and Heidi arrived with our drink orders.

"Here you go," she said. "Can I get you any appetizers?"

"Wings, please, Heidi," I said.

"And fries," Bella added.

Heidi nodded and walked away, and then I addressed Bella.

"My grandparents are here," I attempted, lightly. I didn't want to get into the rest of that story, not here and now, when we were just getting to know each other the right way.

"And you want to be near them." It was a statement, not a question, and I simply nodded in response. "Well, that's nice."

We made more small talk, and as our first round of drinks morphed into round two, and the wings and fries disappeared, I finally asked what I'd been dying to know since the morning she'd returned to my office.

"Bella, I couldn't help but notice that your ring is gone..." I directed my eyes downward, focusing on her hand wrapped around her glass. For what seemed like the eight-hundredth time, my voice faded away, but I didn't want to push or prod. I wanted her to tell me what had happened, but I didn't want to force her into it, so I let it lie for a moment until, thankfully, she responded.

"Oh. Yeah. That's over and done. I...never mind. It's just...done."

My contentment over her vocalizing what I'd already known was short lived. In that instant, I watched as some strange amalgamation of emotions crept up Bella's body. Minutely, she recessed into herself, and she even pulled her drink closer to her from its position on the table. Seeing her that uncomfortable was difficult, and though I wanted to know whether Bella's discomfort originated in her not wanting me to know what happened or if it was simply that she hadn't been prepared to talk about whatever had happened on her short trip back to Washington State, I changed the subject.

"Do you have any brothers and sisters?" I asked, and her relief was nearly palpable as she answered that no, she didn't.

By the time round two was over, it was truly getting late, and I knew we should get going for the night. There was something different in the air. The night had hardly been romantic, but we'd spent the last four hours talking and laughing together; it had been comfortable, nice even, and the idea of leaving her was vastly disappointing, but I knew it was necessary.

"We should probably get going, Bella," I said softly, running the pad of my index finger along the rim of my glass.

"What time is it?" she asked, and glanced at her watch. "Oh Jesus, it's 10:20 already? Where did time go?" When her eyes met mine, there was a slight glow in the burnished brown of her irises, and I knew it had nothing to do with the alcohol she'd imbibed.

It had simply been a good night. Neither of us was blind to that fact.

"Can I walk you back to your hotel?" I asked, with absolutely no innuendo. Even in a town the size of Blessing, it didn't sit right with me to have a woman walking alone this late at night.

Over in her side of the booth, I watched as she turned and scooted across the seat, moving to stand at the end of the table. She fiddled with the clip in her hair and as she removed it, gently tucking it away in her purse, her hair fell in long waves around her shoulders, thick and shiny, even in the poorly lit restaurant we were patrons of. I was momentarily distracted until she said, "I'd like that, Jasper."

I dropped enough cash on the table to cover the bill, and before we left, and Bella and I made separate stops in the men's and women's restrooms to wash our hands in the wake of the hot wings and fries we'd shared for dinner. When she came back out, I held the door for her and we began the five or so block journey back to her hotel.

Bella told me about how, as a child, she would count the steps it took for her to cross a block of the sidewalk, and I told her how I'd only ever ridden a horse once, despite my rural upbringing. As we arrived at the door to her room, I regaled her with the story's details: the horse had bucked and I'd been unprepared, resulting in me being thrown halfway across the arena Gramps and I had been practicing in. "I ended up getting a pretty bad cut on one side of my jaw," I admitted.

Without thinking, she reached out and ran a finger along the nearly invisible scar that remained just below my right ear. It ran along my jaw for about three inches and then disappeared, and she traced her finger over the entire thing before she pulled her hand away as though my skin was fire and it would cause her some grievous injury.

She opened her mouth, presumably to apologize, but I caught her wrist gently with my right hand. "It's fine, Bella. Most people don't even notice it." I paused, moving my eyes' focus from her wrist and my hand to her face. It wasn't until we were staring at one another, brown for blue, that I said, "But you did."

"Yes...I...I did," she said in a near whisper.

At that moment, I felt everything – every fear, every worry, every ounce of pleasure, every bit of confusion – well up in me and combine to form some sort of compulsion. I needed to kiss her. I needed her lips on mine, to feel her slight frame so near to me. I needed some sort of physical connection, something more than the feel of her slender wrist beneath the grasp of my fingers.

I leaned toward her and heard her gasp.

I didn't stop moving as I whispered, "You can tell me to stop."

I was a mere three inches away from her when she whispered back, "But I won't."

And when I kissed her, it started off gently.

Her lips were soft, pliable beneath mine. She hummed lightly against me and without intending to, I slipped her left hand around the back of my neck and dropped my hand to her waist, letting it rest gently.

She stepped closer to me, her right hand grasping at the collar of my shirt, pulling me to her until her shoulders were pressed against the door, and threaded her fingers through my hair.

With our newfound proximity, I knew we were in dangerous territory, but I couldn't find it in myself to stop.

I could feel the heat of her body radiating against my skin, could feel her fingernails scratching at my scalp. I could feel the nearness of her hips to mine, and when I placed my free hand on the door above and to the side of her head, Bella's arms tightened around my neck and shoulders, making it so that the front of her body was contoured to mine, causing a reaction in my own body to begin that I couldn't have stopped, even if I had wanted to.

The stirring in my boxers was only made more apparent when she moaned, a low and heavy sound, and the vibrations quaked and rolled within me so that I couldn't help but push my hand around her waist until it was squarely in place on the small of her back.

We kissed, mouths open, tongues gliding and dancing back and forth, and I felt her hands slide down my chest and find their way to the waist of my Dockers before I realized exactly how hot and heavy the kiss had become.

We needed to stop. I wouldn't allow there to be any further miscommunication between Bella and me. There could be no more sex, nothing more beyond this kiss, until we figured out what the hell was going on between us, and although my body was screaming at me, I knew we needed to put on the brakes.

For a little while at least.

When I pulled away, Bella audibly whined and kept her fingers in my hair and on the back of my neck. "Bella, baby, look...You have to know I don't want to stop, but..."

She gulped and closed her eyes for half a minute, regaining some sense of composure. When she opened them again, and looked at me, they were bright and happy in spite of the slightly petulant tone to her, "You're right."

I peeled my hands away from the body that I'd spent weeks thinking of, dreaming of, and smiled down at her. "I'll see you Monday, Bella," I promised.

"Yes, Monday," she replied with another of her barely visible grins on her lips.

I took two steps backward and finally turned away from her. When I started walking toward my truck, I began to whistle one of my favorite songs, thinking the lyrics. _Mama told me, when I was young... _

As I neared my office, I made what I considered to be an extremely important determination:

I wasn't going to over-think anything in that moment. The facts were that I'd spent an evening with Bella, we'd had a great time, and then I'd kissed her, and she had not wanted it to end. And neither had I.

It had been a damn good night.

**oOo**

**BPOV**

I watched him walk away, unable to move from my spot leaning against the door, unable even to close my mouth, which was hanging open in what I assumed was a _super_ attractive fashion. As he rounded the corner, out of my sight but not earshot, I let out a shaky breath and sagged against the doorframe, rubbing the heel of my hand against my hammering heart.

Jesus. Christ.

The man could kiss. His lips had been soft yet insistent, and when the liquid fire of his tongue had touched mine, when his sweet whiskey and honey taste had invaded my senses, I felt my limbs turn to pliant wax against him. I melted into him, molding my body to his. I couldn't get enough of his taste inside of me, of his body against mine.

The man was dangerous. He had those deep blue eyes that seemed to cut through every defense I tried to erect, that husky voice that made me tremble.

Voodoo magic. It was the only explanation.

He had to know what that song did to me; the images of naked skin glimmering in the dim light, the sounds of sliding flesh and gasping breaths.

_He did it on purpose, the sneaky bastard_, I thought with a shaky laugh.

I finally found the strength to move my limbs from their slump against the door, and with a sigh, stepped into my hotel room. It was dark and somehow seemed even more empty than usual after the night of conversation and laughter I'd enjoyed.

I sat on the bed, flopping backward and running my hands down my face. My body was still buzzing with the after effects of that fucking amazing kiss. It had been... a shock to the system, for sure, but also so comfortable. It had felt like something I'd done a thousand times before – my mouth had known exactly how to mold itself to his, our tongues had tangled in a seamless rhythm. Even our breaths had seemed to be in sync.

I couldn't believe how easy it was to just... _be_ with Jasper. Even the conversation at dinner had flowed easily, and I'd found myself telling him things that I'd never intended. He'd asked about growing up in Washington and I found the words just spilling out of my mouth with little of my usual reserve.

"Well, growing up it was just my dad and me. My mom left when I was about seven." I shrugged, the familiar hollowness settling in my stomach. I cleared my throat and continued, "He was the police chief of the town we lived in – this ridiculous, tiny town called Forks, which you've probably never heard of."

He laughed, the sound so warm and rich it was like an embrace. "Forks? What, did you have a neighboring town called Spoons?"

"Hey," I laughed, narrowing my eyes. "It's not like you have room to talk. Do _you_ have a neighboring town called Curse?"

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. Simmer down, sugar. You were saying, about your dad?"

Something about the way he called me "sugar" made my insides tremble. It was such a stupid endearment, and I knew it meant nothing – these southern folk used endearments like punctuation – but it felt so inexplicably intimate when he said it.

I shook off the thought and continued. "Anyway, he was like... I don't know, this pillar of our community or something. And he was this super quiet guy – most of the time it was hard to get more than one or two words out of him – yet he had this presence. It wasn't like he commanded respect from everyone, but like you couldn't help _but_ respect him, you know?"

Jasper nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. Was he the reason you went into law?"

"Yeah, definitely. Even as a kid I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Of course," I said, a wry grin twisting my mouth to hide the ache the memories brought, "I soon learned I was absolutely terrified of guns, so the whole police chief thing didn't really work out for me."

"What, afraid of guns? I would not have pegged you for that," he'd interrupted.

I raised my eyebrows. "Do I come off as some Ted Nugent, NRA card-carrying crazy to you, Mr. Whitlock?"

He laughed. "No, ma'am, Miss Bella. Not hardly. Just that you don't seem like the type of person that is afraid of anything."

"Damn right," I laughed. He was right. Mostly. I could think of one thing in particular that had terrified me lately, that I'd had to run from rather than facing. I shook my head. This wasn't the time to go there. "So, _anyway_, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I couldn't do the gun thing and figured law was the next best thing. And there you have it, more than you ever wanted to know about my career choice." I winked at him, taking a long pull from my vodka.

"I'd guess there's not much I wouldn't want to know about you, Bella Swan," he'd said quietly, his eyes boring into me for one heated moment before he brought his glass up to his lips, taking a drink of his own. I watched his throat bob as he swallowed and my mouth went dry.

We'd quickly changed topics, the air around us buzzing with a heady kind of tension.

When Jasper had spoken of his deep ties and loyalty to his grandparents, I'd felt a pang of recognition. I knew just how deep that quiet love inside of him ran. It was the same love I felt for my father.

I'd wondered why he didn't speak of his parents, but didn't want to ask and ruin the light atmosphere we'd managed to create.

When he'd mentioned his grandmother and I'd put two and two together, figuring out that she was the same kind woman from the diner, it had just clicked. Of _course_ they were related. They had the same inherent light that shone through, the same innate ability to put people at ease. They touched everyone around them with their quiet warmth.

The only uncomfortable moment was when he'd asked me about my ring. I'd just frozen, unsure what to say. Somehow our conversation had taken on an air of intimacy, our shared experiences linking us as more than just friendly colleagues, but the mention of James was an ice-cold dousing of reality.

Only a week before, I'd been an engaged woman. An engaged woman who had cheated on her fiancé with the man she was now sitting across from, sharing life stories and laughter. It all seemed so... wrong.

But why?

Why should it be wrong? Who defined what was proper in this situation? What was right? Was I not now unbound? Free to do as I wished?

Maybe. But that didn't mean I was ready to dive into... whatever this was with Jasper. It seemed too big, as though it would consume my entire being if I let it. Could I really handle that at this point in my life?

I didn't know.

I didn't think so.

But, I didn't know if I had the strength to resist him. If I didn't explore this, wouldn't I always wonder about what could have been?

Would the feel of his lips, his sweet scent and intoxicating taste, always haunt me?

Would I always hear the faint whisper of his song winding its way through the deep recesses of my mind?

I slipped into an exhausted sleep, my mind still full of the man and his song.

_Don't you worry, you'll find yourself. Follow your heart and nothing else...

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_

**AN:** _There was definitely some virtual squeeing when we put this chapter together. _

_Leave Lawsper some love. _


	7. Chapter 7

_Hello Lawsperites! Sorry for the delay on this one, we (well, me - ilsuocantante) had some performance anxiety coupled with RL issues to deal with. But, we are hopeful that this chapter will assuage any angst the delay has caused. ;)_

_Big thanks, as always, to the gorgeous girls who purchased Lawsper in the Fandom Gives Back auctions last Fall. Lawsper would have been very a lonely boy had it not been for his benefactors. _

_Thanks to our wonderful beta ElleCC who never complains even when it's clear that I have no idea how to use an emdash or a semi-colon. _

_Stephenie Meyer owns the characters, Lynyrd Skynyrd owns the name..... but Lawsper owns us._

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**BPOV**

"Hey, Jasper, I'm gonna head out," I said, leaning into his office. It had been an epically long day of pretending like nothing the slightest bit inappropriate or panty dropping hot had happened the night before, and I was exhausted. I just wanted to get to my hotel, take a hot shower and fall into bed. "See you tomorrow."

He looked up, his eyes slightly unfocused for a moment before he blinked and cleared them. A slow smile spread across his face and my body did that internal clenching thing that almost made me moan out loud.

The man just exuded slow, Southern sex.

He glanced at the window to his right, noting, I assumed, that the darkness of evening had settled upon us. "Hang on just a second and I'll walk with you, sugar. I'm about wrapped up here, anyway."

I swallowed thickly-- the space around us seemed to contract and the air shimmered with the weight all that we were trying to ignore. I watched as he closed his laptop and stuffed it into his bag... watched the flexing of his forearms, the press of his lithe muscles against his charcoal gray shirtsleeves as he moved. I couldn't take my eyes from the graceful movements of his long fingers as they gathered paperwork into neat piles.

His voice cut through my daze, hurling me from the vacuum I'd been sucked into by the press and play of his limbs. "You ready?"

My eyes snapped to his, noting the amused creases at the corner of his laughing blue eyes. My cheeks colored hotly. I did not trust my voice to speak without cracking, so I just nodded and turned on my heel toward the front door.

Though I could tell he did not follow at an unusually close distance, I could still feel his presence behind me as though he were pressing himself against me. The awareness of him pressed against me in an echo of the way he had last night; the sweet heat, the delicious weight of his body against mine.

Subtly, as only a true gentleman can, he increased his pace in order to beat me to the door and hold it open for me.

"You know, god _did_ gift me with two perfectly functioning hands. I even have opposable thumbs," I said, wiggling them in front of his face. "See? Perfectly capable of opening a door for myself."

He grabbed my hands in both of his, linking our fingers and kissing the pad of my right thumb gently. "Oh, I know just how functional these hands are, sugar," he drawled, smiling at me in his wicked way. "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't give you the courtesy of treating you like a lady."

I opened my mouth to retort--I wasn't quite sure with what, exactly, as all the blood in my head had drained to my underwear, though I'm sure it would have been something suitably snarky-- but he cut me off.

"Do you want me to treat you like a lady, Bella?" he asked, his voice gone gravelly again, vibrating low in his chest.

In that particular moment, no I really did not. "I'm not feeling particularly ladylike right now, Mr. Whitlock," I managed to force from a throat gone bone dry with lust.

He sucked in a breath, his eyes darkening for the merest moment before they cleared and crinkled into amusement once more. "Well, that's a shame. Good thing I have manners enough for both of us." He nodded for me to walk through the door. I brushed against him purposefully as I passed, each point of contact sending sparks through me.

"It's a nice night," he murmured as he locked up.

"Are you kidding?" I snorted. "It's disgusting. The air is so thick I feel like I should be chewing it. How do you live with this humidity?"

He just shrugged, shoving his keys in his pocket. I tried not to follow the movement with my eyes. I was pretty sure I'd never be able to tear my gaze from that particular region.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding out his arm to me. The words had hardly left his lips when the sky opened with a booming crack and drenched us with a sudden deluge. We both stood there staring at one another as we got soaked, before moving into furious action. He grabbed me around the waist, lunging for the meager cover of the overhang as he fished his keys from his drenched pants and fumbled with the lock.

We stumbled back into the office, slipping on the increasingly slick tile of the entryway, laughing like lunatics.

"Jesus Christ! What the fuck was that?" I gasped. "It was like someone just set the hose on us. I am _drenched_." I pushed the wet, tangled ropes of my hair out of my face and looked at him, expecting some kind of response.

He was staring, his eyes dark and glittering in the darkness of the room illuminated only by the moon and the distant flashes of lightning. I followed his gaze, looking down at myself. My shirt and skirt were plastered to my body, leaving very little to the imagination.

Thank god I wasn't wearing white.

I looked back at him, noting he was in a similar state. His clothing was a second skin, delineating every angle and plane of his body. The lean muscles of his torso, the rounded shape of his shoulder, the flat expanse of his stomach, the...

Oh.

Oh my.

Well.

In a second, I was on him. My mouth crashing into his, my hands in his dripping curls. He moaned into my mouth and I felt a whimper build in my chest. His hands were everywhere: tangling in my hair, running the length of my back, gripping my hips and pulling me toward him. I nipped at his bottom lip, sucking it into my mouth and moaning at the taste. Sweet honey, warm whiskey and Jasper fucking Whitlock.

I would have him tonight. All of him. I was done waiting. Done wondering. Done toeing the imaginary line between right and wrong.

Right or wrong, I needed it. I didn't have the strength to resist any longer.

As though he could feel my my acquiesce, his hands tightened on my hips, pressing me into him as his fingers traveled to the hem of my skirt, raising it inch by inch until my legs were free enough to wrap around his waist when he lifted me.

My lips latched onto the skin of his neck, my fingers fumbling with the buttons on his sodden shirt, pushing it off his shoulders until it fell in a heap on the floor. My hands slid along the damp and smooth skin of his chest, down his stomach sprinkled with sparse hair, loving the feel of his muscles contracting beneath my palms. I quickly removed his belt and unbuttoned his pants, pushing them and his boxers down his hips until they pooled at our feet. He stepped out of them and walked us to the couch in the waiting area, sitting down so I straddled his lap. I ground against him, moaning when I felt him twitch and pulse beneath me through only the thin barrier of my underwear. He pulled my hair, yanking my mouth to his again, devouring me with a needy growl that I swallowed and reciprocated.

I wanted to feel his naked skin against mine, hating the damp barriers still between us. I slid off his lap and stood before him. His eyes-- dark and hot and heavy in their intensity-- followed my every movement. I felt them on each inch of skin revealed as I slowly unbuttoned my shirt. I shrugged it off, dimly noting the wet sound as it hit the floor. I couldn't break his gaze, couldn't catch my breath.

The air around us had a pulse, throbbing in time with our need.

I unzipped my skirt, letting it fall in a heap at my feet before stepping out of it and standing before him in just my underwear and heels. I didn't stop to think how unusually fortuitous my lingerie choice that morning had been: dark lacy bra and underwear, a garter fastened to sheer black stockings.

"The rest," he whispered, his eyes finally meeting mine. Blue so deep it was almost black. "Please."

With a nod, I complied until I had shed every last barricade between us. I wanted to feel self conscious under his intense perusal, but I couldn't feel anything but his eyes caressing my skin. I could think of nothing but the way his eyes followed every line and curve of my body, the ragged sound of his breath, the murmur that I didn't quite catch.

As if in a dream, I walked toward him, settled on his lap once again. He leaned his forehead against my chest, right over my heart. I thought for sure he could feel its frantic beat against him. He turned his head, capturing one aching nipple in the warm wet of his mouth and I arched against him, my hands tangling in his hair to hold me to him even as his fingers dug into the skin of my hips.

Without preamble, I shifted until I hovered just above his twitching length. I tugged on his hair, wanting him to lift his head so I could see his eyes as I sank down onto him. Bright blue blurred to black as he slid into me. Our mouths met, trading exhales for inhales for the space of one second until his tongue touched mine and the spark engulfed us both. In one sinuous movement we began to move together wildly, setting a pace as violent as the need that gripped us in its tight fist.

Incoherent murmurs and the wet sounds of skin meeting skin filled the space around us, the air heavy and thick.

He said my name and something tightened inside of me, a sharp ache that walked the knife's edge between pleasure and pain. It ripped through me, blinding white and hot, twisting and tangling my very bones until they ground to dust under the pressure, leaving me weak and pliant against him.

"Bella," he moaned, still moving within me. "The only one who could ever reach me was the son of a preacher man."

_What?_

"The only boy who could ever teach me was the son of a preacher man."

I clung to the dream, clawing at the veil as it dissolved before me, melting under the unnaturally loud and shrill ringtone on my cellphone.

"Goddamnit!" I moaned into my pillow, my entire body a pulsing, shaking, shivering mess of need.

"Yes, he was, he was, oh yes, he was."

I fumbled blindly for my phone on the bedside table. "What?" I growled into it by way of greeting.

"Well, good morning, sugar," Jasper laughed. The sound was light, so unlike the growling intensity of my dream, but even so I shuddered at the sound.

"Why are you calling at... whatever the fuck time this is, Jasper? Someone had better be dead."

"It's just after seven, sunshine, and I'm calling because I got a call from my client this morning requesting a meeting with _your_ client and his counsel as soon as possible. She'll be in my office at nine, can you and Sam make it?"

My stomach sank. This could mean any number of things, and the majority of them were bad. Very, very bad. I sat up. "What did she say?" I demanded.

I could almost hear that slow, mocking smile settle over his face. "Well now, sugar, you know I can't tell you that. You'll just have to hear it from the lady herself in t-minus one hour and forty seven minutes."

"Damnit," I sighed. "Okay. I'll call Sam and meet you in the office at nine."

"See you then," he said. I was just about to drop the phone when he said, "Oh, and Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Wear a skirt. I'm partial to them." He hung up before I could reply. Not that I could have managed anything other than incoherent sputtering, as my mouth had fallen open in shock.

I flopped back onto the bed, covering my face with a pillow as I screamed in frustration.

Goddamn that man.

And oh yes, I'd wear a skirt. And maybe a few things that had made a cameo in my dream.

Be careful what you wish for, Jasper Whitlock.

**oOo**

Leah's eyes locked on Sam, and though it held just the hint of a tremble, her voice was sure as she said, "After a lot of thought, I've decided that I will no longer pursue sole custody of our children in the divorce."

I was sure there could be no air left in the room at the collective gasp from Sam and me. "Leah--" he began, but she cut him off, her eyes hardening.

"You're a shit excuse for a husband and I'll never forgive you for what you did to me, but it doesn't make you any less of a father. Your children need you, and I don't want to make this any harder on them than is necessary."

He nodded, dropping his eyes to the table for a moment before meeting hers again. "Thank you, Leah," he whispered. "I'll never be able to tell you how sorr--"

"Save it," she spat, interrupting him again. "I don't need any more apologies from you. I just want to get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible. I want you out of my life, Sam Uley. I don't want to keep rehashing this." She sounded suddenly unbearably tired. Her eyes cut to Jasper. "We done here?"

He nodded slowly. "I'll draw up the documents and run them over to you tomorrow, if that works."

She nodded and stood, walking out of the room without another word. Sam rose, shooting me a quick look before turning to Jasper. "Thank you," he said sincerely, before rushing out of the room after Leah.

I turned to Jasper, a smile splitting m face. I was so relieved that this had been so bloodless; it would have been horrible for everyone to have to fight it out in court.

"Oh my god," I nearly squealed. "You are a miracle worker!" I threw my arms around him in elation, and without thinking, kissed him softly. "I don't even know what kind of voodoo magic you worked on her, but Jesus-- I am so relieved I could just--"

"Bella," he said, cutting me off. The rough tone of his voice should have been familiar to me, it had only been a couple of hours since I had heard it.

I met his eyes, blue blurring to black. He tightened his arms around me. "Do it again," he murmured.

"Wh-what?" I stammered, my heart fluttering in my chest.

"Kiss me," he whispered.

* * *

_Ok, ok. I know you want to kill us right now. But I PROMISE, next chapter will give you what you want. And actually... it's almost done! So your wait will be minimal._

_Thanks for putting up with us and for loving Lawsper as much as we do. Leave him your love below._

_MWAH! _


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello, everyone! Here we are again._

_Big thanks, as always, to the gorgeous girls who purchased Lawsper in the Fandom Gives Back auctions last Fall. Lawsper would have been very a lonely boy had it not been for his benefactors. _

_Thanks to our wonderful beta _**ElleCC**_, too, who took time out of her Memorial Day festivities to quickfire beta this chapter. _

_Stephenie Meyer owns the characters, Lynyrd Skynyrd owns the name... but Lawsper owns us._

**.-O-.**

**JPOV **

She stared at me for half a second, her irises some strange amalgamation of desire and nerves and shock, and I chuckled, a low rumble in my chest. "Come on, sugar, you've got no reason to be nervous." I slipped my hands from their casual position on her hips up and across, taking in every curve with my fingertips. My left hand pressed into the small of her back, pushing her hips gently into my thighs, and the fingers of my right traipsed all the way up her spine, nestling into the hair on the back of her head. Her hair was silken and thick, and I'd wanted to touch it since she'd returned. I felt a slow smile upturn the corners of my lips. "Bella," I said, "Do it. I dare you."

Her lips parted and a staccato breath slipped forward, ghosting across my cheek.

This time, there was no hesitation, though I did feel her body relax beneath my touch, and she lifted herself onto her tip toes and pressed her mouth to mine.

Instantly, a burn developed in my chest, hot and pulsating, and I pulled her body closer to mine, my lips earnest against hers. I needed this. Had needed it since that day weeks ago when we'd let our sense of propriety and professionalism slip. I needed this, needed her; it was all I could feel, see, taste, touch.

She hummed against my lips, tightening her arms around my neck, and I felt her fingernails scratching lightly at my skin through my shirt. Our tongues moved in the same instant, meeting and melding into some silent dance with one another, and I pulled her with me as I backed my way into the wall, intending to use it for stability.

Bella pulled her lips from mine. Her cheeks were flushed a pale pink, and her lips pouty as she turned her head to the side, resting her right ear against my chest and collarbone. "Are we doing this, Jasper?" she whispered in a fervent but nearly inaudible voice. "God, _please_ tell me we're doing this."

I slipped my hand out of her hair, tracing her jaw. I grazed her lips with the pad of my thumb and placed my index finger under her chin, pressing upward until her eyes met mine again.

"We most certainly, are, shug, and I don't care that it's barely 9:30 in the morning. But, are _you_ certain?" I let my voice fall away and then lowered my lips to hers, capturing them softly. A moment later, when I spoke, I left my forehead pressed to hers, an incredibly intimate gesture, and one that she did not cringe away from, even as she gave the the tiniest of nods. "Care for a change of scenery? I mean, I know this is our M.O., but I think you deserve better…"

At the mention of our first time, Bella smiled and when she spoke, her voice had acquired a raspy tone. "Yes and please," she replied, and then her soft and insistent lips found mine again as she walked us toward the door.

I stopped allowing her to lead me, and when she realized I was no longer letting her pull me along, she made a noise akin to a whimper and pulled away from me.

I smiled at her and said, "Bella, honey, I have to lock up, and my keys are over there." I pointed to the file cabinet where I'd left them that morning. "Let me get them and then…well, I was thinking I'd take you back to my place, if that's all right."

Her lips moved imperceptibly, forming the smallest of smiles, and she stepped away from me, allowing her arms to drop to her sides. As I walked toward my keys, she said, "You mean you want to fuck me good and proper in a bed?"

There was snark in her tone, but I could hear something else. Some kind of yearning. Something intense.

I reached the filing cabinet and pocketed my keys. Licking my lips, I turned to face her and looked directly in her eyes as I said, "Bella Swan,_ fucking_ is the last thing I have planned for today. A whole other term comes to mind, if I'm honest. I hope you didn't have to be anywhere until…hmm, maybe tomorrow."

I smirked as I walked past her and she coughed.

As usual, my directness had seemed to throw her for a loop, and as I heard her heels clicking behind me, I imagined that skirt she was wearing in a pile on my bedroom floor. Bare skin, soft hands…

We needed to _go_.

I locked up and Bella followed me to my car. She'd walked over this morning for the quick meeting with Sam and Leah, and after a quick stop at her hotel so that she could pick up a few things – the irony in that wasn't lost on me – we were headed to my house.

The space in the front seat was thick with tension. Bella's hand was on my thigh, rubbing back and forth, and I couldn't help but notice the way that skirt rode up her legs, showing me more than I'd seen since that evening that seemed so long ago. I wrapped my fingers around her fingers as they made yet another trip toward my knee and pulled them to my lips, kissing them lightly.

Bella said nothing, but her breath caught, and then we made the final turn into my neighborhood.

Two streets later, I made a right, and as I pulled into the driveway, I put the car in park and said, "Well, this is me."

She smiled, leaned across the console between us, and kissed me sweetly. "Thank you," she whispered.

"No thanks necessary, Bella. Come on in," I replied, and we stepped out of the car and walked to my front door in silence.

I unlocked the door and let her step inside before me. She moved forward as I entered the house and as soon as I closed the door, she was on me.

God, it felt good.

Her hands were everywhere – in my hair, on my chest, grazing my hips – and I accepted her lips and tongue graciously as my palms rose to the top button of my shirt.

"Let me do that," she commanded, and lowered her mouth to the skin of my neck. She had stepped away from me just far enough that I could put my arms around her, and I took my chance.

"I'd offer you the grand tour, but I don't think that's necessary right now," I said, and promptly bent my knees and picked her up so that her thighs were around my waist. My hands were on the underside of her thighs and I felt lace. "Well, Miss Bella Swan," I said, "I do believe you have something on that I'd like to see."

Her mouth peppered my throat and cheeks with kisses as I moved deftly through my house. When I reached my bedroom, I let go of her legs and let her stand up.

She immediately began to unbutton my shirt, yanking it out of my slacks, and when the final closure had been undone, she ran her hands over the t-shirt I was wearing underneath. "Jasper," she whispered, and I noticed her hands were trembling as they pushed my shirt over my shoulders.

I caught her petite palms with my fingers and asked, "Why are you shaking, Bella?"

She pulled her hands away from my grip and shook her head. "It's nothing," she said, and I knew it was a lie, but I didn't want to push.

Yet.

As my button-down fell to the floor, I toed out of my shoes, and her fingers tugged at the hem of my undershirt. Bella pulled it over my head and dropped it, and then her hands were gliding over my bare chest and I groaned lightly. "Come here, baby," I spoke softly, and her lips were on mine without a second's thought.

I angled us so that I was nearer to the bed, and as we moved, her fingers worked at my belt and pants' enclosure. Quickly, the gray slacks I'd been wearing fell to my feet and I stepped out of them. I could practically feel her eyes roving over my body as I stood there in only my boxers and socks.

I stepped backward twice more and took a seat on the foot of my bed. I removed my socks and grinned at her. "Should I do the honors?"

"You cocky bastard. Get over here," she said thickly.

I dropped my socks and went to her, gently pulling her shirt from within the confines of her skirt. I unbuttoned it and pushed it over her shoulders only to be met by a heather gray bra overlaid with black lace. As I unzipped her skirt, I kissed her collarbone. She mumbled something unintelligible as she dipped her lips, meeting mine easily.

As the skirt fell away, though, I couldn't help myself.

I stared.

Unabashedly.

And took a couple steps away from her, mouth slightly agape, as I took her in.

Bella stood before me in that lacy bra and a pair of tiny black panties, both of which set off her pale, porcelain skin amazingly. She wore black thigh-highs and what looked to be her usual extremely high heels.

"Jesus Christ, Bella," I managed, taking a seat again on my bed. As I moved backward toward the headboard, my voice was quiet. "Please come here."

Her eyes honed in on mine as she walked to the foot of my bed and paused to remove her heels. I heard them fall to the floor, and then she was crawling toward me as she whispered, "I'm here."

She straddled my waist and her hands were behind my neck when she whispered it again, "I'm _here_," and I had a feeling, in that moment, that after today, everything would be different.

My hands settled on her thighs, and as I fingered the lace there, we kissed slowly. We moved deliberately, hands and fingers splaying across our shared bare skin. I unclasped the bra she was wearing and she pulled it away from her skin, discarding it to the floor.

I placed my hands over the back of her ass and bent my knees slightly so that I could slide us backward. Once my back was against the pillows, I began trailing kisses haphazardly across her shoulders and chest before taking one perfect peak between my lips. She exhaled loudly and arched her back at the contact, and I lifted my hand to caress her other breast with my fingers and palm.

"Jasper," she whispered again, and I felt her hands tangle in my hair, egging me to continue. "Oh, _God_."

I swirled my tongue around her already sensitive skin until I felt it harden and then moved my mouth to the breast my hand had previously been attending to.

She raised herself until she was balancing on her knees, causing me to break contact. "Off," she said, "I need these off. Please."

As she slipped her fingers beneath the waist of my boxers, she crawled off of me and laid next to me, her head on the pillow I was sitting near. For once, I was glad I never made my bed, because I tossed the blue sheet over us and slid down the mattress.

Lying on my back, I lifted my hips and took my boxers off, kicking them into the sheets at my feet. By the time I turned back to her, Bella had moved closer to me, and as I balanced on my side and placed my hand on her hip, I realized she'd removed her underwear as well.

She peeked beneath the sheet and took me in her hand.

The feeling of her palm and fingers gripping me firmly but gently was enough to make me roll my eyes in pleasure, and a low moan ripped from my chest. "Bella, do you see what you do to me?"

She began pumping me, creating friction that was delicious, but I stopped her. "Wait," I commanded, and slipped my hands around her waist, pulling her to me.

Bella wrapped her arms around my neck again, contouring her body along mine, and my already-formed erection pressed into her thigh. She kissed me deeply, slipping her tongue between my lips as she pulled me on top of her. "Please, Jasper. I need you," she said between kisses.

"I need _you_, Bella," I said, returning her kiss softly. "But first…"

She swallowed and I sat back on my heels, her thighs crossed over my own, the sheet pooled around us.

Bella was beautiful as she laid there, every breath she took visible on her thin frame, uncovered before me, so I told her so.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Isabella Swan," I said and leaned over her. I traced my fingertips along her shoulders and over her breasts, down her sides and over her hips. I ran the pads of my fingertips down her legs and around her heels and then back up to her pelvis. Bella's breath hitched and I gripped her outer thigh with my left hand and slipped the first two fingers of my right hand along her most sensitive skin, assessing whether she was ready for what would come next.

Her hips bucked just slightly at my touch and she mewled at me. "Fuck," she murmured, holding the vowel for slightly longer than necessary. "_Please_, Jasper. God, I need you."

I leaned to my right and pulled the night stand drawer open, ruffling through the various papers and things that were there until I found a condom. I tore the foil wrapper and then Bella's hands were covering mine.

She had pulled herself into a seated position and took the condom from my hand. We both watched in silence as she manipulated it, encasing my erection, and she kissed me softly before laying back and nestling her head into the pillow.

I lowered my gaze and took myself in my hand. I pressed my left palm into the mattress near her side and positioned my tip at her entrance. "I'm here, too," I whispered to her, and then with one slow thrust, I pushed into her.

She cried out and she was warm and perfect.

"Oh, God, Jasper…God," she said, "I've wanted you this way all this time. Please don't stop."

"This is just be beginning, sugar," I replied softly, and after I placed my right palm near her side, I began to roll my hips leisurely, moving slowly inside of her, making sure that she understood that this wasn't fucking, it was something else entirely. As I moved against and inside of her, I wanted to convey the depth of the feelings that had grown so quickly over the last few weeks. I wanted to show her that she could be cared for better than she had ever experienced.

I wanted to show her I loved her.

Love had come quickly, and when I realized it the day before, sitting around with Jane at Gram's, it had seemed the most simple and complex knowledge I'd ever had. I knew I would have to talk with her about it, but at that moment, there were other…pressing matters.

I had no idea how much time passed. All I could feel was her body against mine, her heat and the burning desire that was raging through every part of me.

My hips continued to roll slowly, and Bella hooked her ankles behind my back, changing the angle of our bodies just enough to allow me to thrust deeper, to feel more of her. "Bella, you're perfect," I managed. "You're amazing."

She shook her head and slipped her hands behind my ears, pulling my face to hers. Bella kissed me then, deeply, so that when we broke we were both breathless.

My rhythm began to lose some of its regulated cadence, and because I knew I was close, I lifted myself back up, so that I could look down at her. "Baby, I want you to let go," I said, and began to rub my thumb over her clit.

I moved in circles, both my hips and my thumb, and when she arched her back, I knew it wouldn't be long.

I was sweating, my skin flashing between hot and cold, and when Bella began to ramble, saying my name over and over again, I felt myself twitch within her. "Bella, let go," I said softly, and then her back arched and she called out my name and when I felt her body's response to me and what I'd done, I finally let go myself.

My voice was breathless as I stammered, "Oh…Bella, God…_Bella_…"

My orgasm washed over me, and it felt as though my nerve endings were on fire, every single one of them lit within and crackling beneath my skin. I felt wholly right in that moment, as though I was where I was supposed to be, with the right woman. My hips bucked forward one last time, and when I finished, I held myself up for as long as I could before collapsing, my forehead pressing into the juncture of her neck and shoulder. I was careful to at least hold my weight up with my elbows, and Bella lifted her head and I felt her lips flutter against my throat.

We were silent as I pulled out, rolling lazily to her side as I pulled her into my arms, her pert nipples grazing my chest lightly as she blindly reached for the sheet and tossed it over us. "Jasper?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"You make me feel beautiful and sexy, and what we just did was the hottest thing I've ever been a part of." Her eyes tentatively met mine when she finished her statement, and I smiled at her.

"Good. I think I'd like to make you feel beautiful, somehow, every day," I said, in answer. "Not just like this, by the way, though I must admit I certainly wouldn't mind."

A faint blush crept up her cheeks. I said nothing.

Bella eyed the clock that I knew was just over my shoulder in her field of vision. "I just had the best sex of my life and it's only 10:45 in the morning. This day's off to a hell of a start," she said, laughing.

"I am inclined to agree, sugar," I started, pausing to yawn. "How about a nap?"

"I could be on board with that," she replied, and turned over so that her back was to my chest.

We fell asleep, and it was warmth and comfort, and her quiet breathing was the last thing I heard before I let my eyes close.

**.-O-.**

I was awakened two hours later by Bella's hand gliding up and down my length.

When I was sufficiently hard, she smiled at me and pushed me onto my back. I reached for my nightstand, but she shook her head at me. "I'm on the pill. And I trust you, Jasper," she said, and it sounded like a promise.

I stayed quiet, not wanting to ruin the moment we were having, and it wasn't until she took my erection in her hand again and lowered herself onto me that I made any sound.

"Fucking…God, Bella…"

She leaned forward and pressed her palms into my chest as she began to rock her hips at a moderate pace. "I want to make you come, Jasper. Can I do that?" she asked, her tone heavy with need and want, and I swallowed hard as I listened to Bella talking dirty.

My eyes were closed as I reveled in the feel of nothing between us, of how good it felt to have her like this, to be with her like this. I groaned and pressed my hips upward, eliciting a gasp from Bella. "Mmm, Jasper, come on, baby," she murmured, and then moved her hands so that they were on either side of my head, pressed into the pillow. I opened my eyes just in time for her to kiss me, her hips moving all the time, and when she pulled away, she bit my lip lightly.

I moaned and moved my hands to her hips, adjusting her rhythm.

"You feel so good, sugar," I whispered, and then I lost my composure again, for the second time that morning. The impact Bella had on me was indescribable and intense.

I couldn't think of a day when I wouldn't want her.

Bella froze over me, and when I looked her in the eye, a look of sheer contentment was evident on her face. "You're sexy as hell when you come, Jasper. Did you know that?"

I laughed lightly. "I had no idea. You're not so bad yourself."

She lifted her body and collapsed next to me. "Jesus, Jasper, my hips hurt. I mean, not that I'm complaining, but … "

Instinctively, I reached for her, rubbing her hip with my fingertips. "Can I get you anything?" I asked. "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head. "I could use some water, though."

I nodded, kissed her forehead, and rolled away from her. As I stood up, I called over my shoulder, "I'll be right back."

In the kitchen, I poured two glasses of ice water and pulled out some pita chips and hummus before returning to my bedroom. As I reentered the space, Bella said, "You have a cute ass. I'm just saying," with a silly grin on her lips.

I snorted at her and held her glass out to her. She sat up and took it, and after I had placed everything on the nightstand, I looked down at her, sitting naked in my bed and sipping water, and couldn't help but smile. "Do you want a t-shirt?" I asked.

I could see the grin on her lips from behind the glass, so I walked across the room and pulled out one of my college t-shirts, picked up her underwear and found my boxers tangled in the sheets near our feet. After we'd both redressed, at least slightly, and she'd finished with her water, I settled in next to her.

And there, in our cocoon of sorts, we talked.

**.-O-. **

Bella started it, her feet on my bed in front of her, her elbows balanced casually on her knees as she looked me in the eye. I was lying next to her, one hand under my pillow, and she ran the fingers of one hand in a random design down my chest as she said, "So, really, Jasper. Why Blessing? Why this tiny town when you could be a bigger name, make more money, even, elsewhere?"

I smiled softly at her as I caught her hand with my own. "Well, that's a bit of a story, Bella, so if you really want to hear it, consider yourself warned."

Bella adjusted her position, matching mine by stretching out on her side, facing me. My t-shirt rode up her slender thighs, and I only let myself stare at the black lace stretched over her hip for a moment before I started in.

"Why don't we start by you telling me the rest of your story about your dad, sugar?" I requested. Bella furrowed her brow at me for a moment, and then I watched as acceptance washed over her face, and she began.

"Well, my mom and I don't have a relationship, and Dad was always a cop when I was growing up. I...You know, I always wanted to follow in his footsteps, up 'til my junior year of high school." Her voice fell away and I squeezed her fingers with mine and moved our hands to lie between us on the bed, my silent way of willing her to continue.

Bella took a ragged breath as she told me that her father had been killed in the line of duty when she was seventeen. Her hero worship turned into blackness, a darkness that took her over, and when she fell apart, she told me a family took her in. "The Blacks were so...just...fucking integral to my well-being after that. Jake is my best friend, and he's my sanity a lot of the time. He lost his mom at a young age, too, only she died in a car accident, so...Anyway, we're all still so close, and they are the reason I had any motivation to get my shit together, after Dad passed."

Bella's voice had taken on a tremulous tone – one I recognized all too well from personal experience – and I lifted my head, balancing it on my free palm, and started my story. "I understand that all too well, Bella."

I explained that I understood loss and finding yourself with the assistance of other people. I told her that when I was a kid – no more than five – my parents had decided they wanted nothing to do with a child. I told her that they had dropped me off at my grandparents' house without any real explanation of what was going on, with only the clothes on my back. "Gram never got into detail about their rationale, but really, who leaves a kid without a second thought? All I know is that one night, Gram was tucking me into bed, and I never saw my parents again."

I paused there, wondering how Bella would react. I prayed that she wouldn't be looking at me with pity in her eyes, and when I finally looked over at her, I was happy to see disgust there instead. Her voice was low, quiet with rage as she murmured, "What kind of people...I can't even..."

I cut her off softly. "I know. But it was so long ago, I can hardly remember them, and honestly, Gram and Gramps are the best parents I could ask for, Bella. They really are."

The room was silent for a moment, and I watched Bella bite her lip, eyes downcast as her mind moved at what was probably a million miles an hour.

She was so damn beautiful, I actually gulped as I watched her. I had just told her my life story, one that the majority of the residents of Blessing didn't know the full detail of – Gram had always just glossed over the fact that my parents had left for no good reason. The townspeople simply believed they hadn't been able to take care of me – the typical assigned rationale was that they had been too young or too inexperienced – and really, in general, that was true, so we never bothered to correct them.

But I had just told Bella the whole story, simply because she asked.

Suddenly, her response was all-important. I needed her to understand how intrinsic my relationship with my grandparents was to me, as a person. I needed her to see what it meant for my life.

I needed her to understand, more than anything I'd ever needed before. More than I'd needed to touch her that first night, more than I'd needed her to kiss me earlier.

She lifted her eyes to mine again, the cocoa of her irises, churning with a thousand emotions, and then, she whispered, "They supported you through law school."

I nodded.

"And they are why you stay here."

I nodded. "I would have no real problem with living elsewhere in Texas, but...yes. They are why I stay."

Bella stared at me for a few moments, and I felt my chest tighten as her large eyes brimmed over with tears. I was just about to reach out to glide my thumb over her cheek, to wipe the one tear that had managed to fall away when she spoke again.

"Jasper Whitlock, you are, by far, the most amazing man I've ever had the privilege of knowing."

I lifted my eyebrows at her, about to protest, but she cut me off.

"No, you are. Shut up and come here," she commanded, and I did as she asked, pressing my lips to hers as I wished I'd never have to stop.

We paused to eat and drink, and to shower separately, but our mouths always found one another again quickly.

That was the first night I slept with Bella Swan in my arms.

Nothing had ever felt more perfect.

**.-O-. **

We woke up late the next day. It was almost as though all of our confessions had exhausted us, and as I watched her dress, pulling back on her skirt and shirt from the day before, I realized exactly how badly I wanted her to just... stay. With me. In whatever capacity I could have her.

The mere idea of her disappearing, of Bella going back to Washington, of this amazing thing that had taken place between us breaking into a million pieces and not ever going anywhere sent a twinge of pain down my spine.

I had to know where this was going.

She hopped up on my kitchen table as she sipped her coffee, and we made small talk. It was comfortable. Right. Good. I kissed her hard. So that I heard the soft thud made by the back of her head pressing into my cabinets. Bella moaned lightly against my skin, her fingers making their way into my hair as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her hips toward mine.

She locked her feet behind me, and before we even know what was going on, her skirt was shoved up around her hips and my jeans were around my feet, and we'd managed to get her panties out of the way. I took her there and then, in my kitchen, just a few inches to the side of my front window, and when she came, she gasped my name, and it took everything inside of me to suppress the "I love you, Bella Swan" that was threatening to fall from my lips.

"God, Jasper," she whispered when we were done, and brushed her lips across mine.

"I know," I replied, but I wondered if I really did.

I drove her back to her hotel. We walked to her room in silence, our fingers brushing randomly when our strides allowed it, and when she opened her door and offered me a seat, I took advantage of it by carefully lowering myself onto the foot of her bed.

She walked past me, tossing her room key on the nightstand, and I looked past her.

Her suitcases were propped open, various articles of clothing poking out at odd angles, and it hit me again that she was transitory. There was no reason for her to stay here, save for me, and she had a whole life in Seattle. Jake and his family. Her job there. Her friends, though I'd heard next to nothing about them in the time she'd been in Blessing. I knew how hard it would be for me to go to Washington for her, what with Gram and Gramps being here.

Was it even possible that I would be enough? Would she even want to make a life change...for me? For us?

I looked up at her as she neared me again, and then, I asked the question I'd posed to her before.

"What now? I feel like we never finished it the first time we tried to have this conversation, so let's do this right now. What do you want, Bella?

"Well, Jasper, I mean, I just...I don't see how this can work. I mean, you're in Texas, and I'm in Washington..."

My chest twinged as I noticed the clinical tone of her voice, and I was certain that this was it, that this was goodbye.

But then her voice stopped abruptly.

She collapsed onto the bed next to me and clutched at my forearm with her petite hand. Bella's lips parted and she just looked at me for a moment before she began her typical response to unexpected stimuli. She rambled.

"But, Jasper, I want this," she said, gesturing between the two of us. "I want you. I want you _with_ me. I can't deny this... god, this reaction I have to you. This need... I just... I don't know how the hell we can make it work. Jobs and family and then there's the distance, and I don't even know what it is that you..."

She paused and I felt like maybe I could fly.

"What do _you_ want, JW?" she asked, and I grinned for two reasons: first, because she'd apparently assigned me a nickname and I'd had no idea, and second, because I already knew my answer to her question.

I turned to face her, lifting my hand so that my thumb and forefinger were contoured along her chin, and looked her in the eye.

"Just you, Bella Swan. I'll figure the rest out later."

A small gasp slipped from her lips, and then I kissed her softly.

**

* * *

**

_Well, I (ahizelm) hope you enjoyed it. I know I had a good time writing it. Guh._

_The lovely __**queenofgrey**__ is hosting a readalong for Lawsper and his Bella tonight, beginning at 9PM, EST. For more information, please go to: _

_http:/theficbridge__ (dot) blogspot (dot) com/_

_Thanks for putting up with us and for loving Lawsper as much as we do. Leave him your love below._

_MWAH! _


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry for the wait on this one, guys! Between real life, our other stories and Comic Con, this took longer than we'd anticipated. Thanks for sticking it out with us._

_As always, thanks to the gorgeous girls who bought us in last year's FGB auction, and to **ElleCC **who had her work cut out for her betaing this chapter. _

_Stephenie Meyer owns the characters, Lynyrd Skynyrd owns the name... but Lawsper owns us._

* * *

**BPOV**

I woke to the warm and wet weight of lips on my back. Roughened fingertips trailed the length of my spine, leaving goosebumps and trembling nerves in their wake. I shivered and felt his lips curve into a smile against my skin.

"Good morning, beautiful," he murmured against me.

"Morning," I tried to reply, but my mouth never worked correctly until I'd consumed approximately twelve cups of coffee, so it came out sounding more like, "muhng."

He chuckled, the vibrations skittering along my skin and I sighed. I slowly opened my eyes, noting the silvery hue of the room, signaling the early hour. "Whatimesit?"

"Still early, but we have to be at the courthouse at eight."

I groaned and rolled onto my stomach, not at all ready to wake up and start the day. Jasper and I had been together every night since we'd finally allowed ourselves to give in to one another. It was nothing short of blissful to fall asleep tangled together and wake wrapped in his warmth and salty-sweet scent, but it wasn't exactly conducive to a full night's sleep. We were insatiable, starving for every little piece of the other. I wanted to know every inch of his body, which spot made him moan, which made him tremble and which made him scream.

And he gave as good as he got.

With a sigh, I stretched my arms out in front of me, trying to wake myself up. Suddenly, I felt him settle against me, pressing me into the bed. He grabbed my hands, wrapping them around the bed posts.

I shivered when his stubbled cheeked graze my own, his breath fanning my neck. "Why don't you just hold on tight for a minute, sugar?" he murmured against my ear, the raspy notes of that fire and honey voice sliding right into me and settling in the pit of my stomach. "We have a few minutes yet, and I intend to use them. And you."

I moaned, arching back against him and trying to raise up on my hands and knees to give him better access. Who needed foreplay when you woke to that sweet and slow southern in your ear? Not me, that was for damn sure.

"Don't move, baby," he murmured against my neck. "I like you just fine like this." His mouth moved from my neck to my shoulders. Wet warmth spanning across my back, making me shiver.

His hands drifted up and down my sides, barely brushing against my breasts, but causing them to tighten just the same. Everywhere he touched came alive, every inch of skin that had yet to feel the brush of those calloused fingertips throbbed with need.

"Jasper," I whimpered. His only response was a low hum against my spine, and I swear my very bones shuddered under its weight. I felt his body lift from mine, the air in the room cool on my heated skin. His hands settled at my hips, tracing the shape of my curves over and over again.

"So beautiful, Bella," he murmured, and I felt my skin flush with heat. He chuckled, one fingertips tracing the blush down my spine. I shivered as goosebumps prickled my flesh, I moaned when the finger continued its path down, down, down until it reached where I was aching for him. Warm and sure hands gripped my thighs, pressing them apart so his fingers could continue to explore.

"And so wet," he murmured, the very tip of his finger slipping inside of me. I trembled and tried to push back against him, but he held me in place. "Tell me, Bella... who made you so wet?"

His finger slipped all the way inside of me, curling and twisting. "You," I managed to gasp.

"Yes, that's right. Me," he said, punctuating the statement with a nip at the center of my back. He added another finger, stroking in and out at a steady pace. The room filling with my muffled moans and the increasingly wet sounds of his fingers. "So wet and smooth and _hot_. I bet you're sweet, too. Sweeter than sugar." I could hear the smile in his voice, could picture so perfectly the way his mouth would bow up into a crooked smirk. I wanted to feel that mouth on me.

"Taste me, Jasper," I moaned.

"Hmmm," he considered, even as his fingers continued to swirl deliciously inside of me. "No, I don't think I will. I'd much rather you taste yourself." He drew his fingers from me, reaching up his hand to rub them against my bottom lip. The movement caused him to shift, pressing against me and I could feel how hard he was. Heavy and hot against my ass. "Taste what I do to you, Bella."

I moaned, opening my mouth and sucking his fingers inside. I swirled my tongue around them, lapping at the flavor, wishing it was his cock coated with me.

"See how sweet you are, Bella?"

"Yes," I gasped. I was on fire. Everywhere burned with need for him.

"Who does that to you, sugar? Who makes you so wet and sweet?"

He pressed against me, the very tip of his cock nudging against my entrance and I thought I'd scream if I didn't have him inside of me at that very second. "You, just you Jasper. Please," I whimpered.

"Please what, Bella?"

"Please, I need you," I gasped.

He leaned down, pressing his lips to my neck and his cock further against my pussy. "But I'm right here, baby."

"You know what I mean," I whined.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I guess I do. But maybe I just want to hear you say. Say it, Bella."

"Fuck me," I whispered. "Please, Jasper. Right now."

He slammed into me. "God!" I moaned.

His hands were biting into my hips, holding me down when I wanted to arch against him. He pulled all the way out, pushing back into me with such force that I knew, had he not been holding me, I would have been thrown against the headboard.

"Is this what you wanted?"

"Yes! Fuck... yes..." I gasped.

"Yeah, it is," he hissed. "You remember that, Bella." He punctuated each word with a deep thrust. "You remember this." He fell on top of me, his weight completely pinning me to the bed. His heat surrounded me, his scent was everywhere. I could feel him throbbing inside of me. His hands gripping my hips, his teeth scraping against my shoulder. I couldn't breathe. I was completely consumed.

"No one else will make you feel like this. No one else."

When I came apart around him seconds later, I knew he was right.

And it terrified the ever loving fuck out of me.

**oOo**

We both seemed to need some distance after the intensity of the morning. We went our separate ways after showering and sharing a quiet breakfast. Things weren't tense or strained between us, it was just as though we were both too full of words to speak.

I knew I needed to sort myself out before we really spoke again. I knew our time was running thin and each word carried so much more meaning now. I needed to know, definitively, what I wanted to do. I needed to figure out what I wanted my life to look like moving forward. And whether or not it could include Jasper.

The undeniable truth was that I wanted him in my life. I felt him inside of me, a phantom throb beside my heart. I knew I'd never be able to shed the connection we shared. I knew I'd never feel for another the way I felt for him.

But was it enough?

Could I derail my entire life for the sake of a man?

This sweet, southern, simple man?

I didn't know.

**oOo**

"Hey, Sam," I said, giving him a quick hug when he ushered me inside his apartment. "You ready for this?"

He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "As ready as anyone ever is for this type of thing."

We sat down at his rickety kitchen table and went through the agreed upon settlement line by line, making sure everything he was aware and on board with everything set forth in the divorce papers.

He sat back against his chair, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

I sighed, lying my hand over his. "I know. I'm sorry, Sam. This is never easy, but I truly believe, after all of this is said and done, you'll both be a lot happier. We just need to get through this one last thing and then you can both start living your lives again."

"I've hurt her so badly, Bella," he whispered brokenly. "What kind of person does this to his wife and the mother of his children?"

"Sam... you know me, I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you. What you did was really shitty. There are a million things you could have and probably should have done differently... but sometimes... sometimes I think everything happens for a reason."

He just looked at me skeptically and I blushed, knowing that I sounded corny as hell. "Look, neither of you was happy. If this hadn't happened, if Emily hadn't come along... you guys would be in the same boat, just going through the motions. At least now you both have a chance to really live." I shrugged. "Leah has the opportunity to get out there and find something that's going to make her happy and fulfilled. And you have Emily. I just...I think it's the best for both of you. And I'm happy for you."

He squeezed my hand. "Thanks, Bella. It means a lot to me, coming from you. From someone who's been a part of our lives from the beginning. I'm so glad you understand. I hope someday Leah will see it that way too. That she'll find someone who makes her as happy as Emily's made me."

"I think she will. I hope she will. I'll kick her ass if she doesn't," I said, laughing.

"I know you will," Sam said with a smile. He sat back in his chair once again, his expression lighter, his eyes appraising me. "You seem different."

I dropped my eyes, suddenly uncomfortable with his scrutiny. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. More... I don't know. Relaxed, maybe."

I raised my brow. "You mean I'm not quite such a ball busting goody two shoes?"

"No, I wouldn't go that far." He laughed, holding up his hands. "Just that you're a little more... hell, I don't know. Point is, you seem happier. I like it."

"Yeah, well... me too."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a Mr. Jasper Whitlock, would it?" he asked with a sly grin.

My face immediately colored. "_That_ is none of your goddamn business, Sam Uley."

"Mmmhmmm." He smirked. "You cosying up to opposing council, Miss Swan? Trying to sway the other team a little for me? I'm touched that you'd take one for the team like that. I really am."

"Shut the fuck up, Sam. Oh my god," I moaned, covering my face in mortification. Was it that obvious? Christ, I was such a fuckup. This could ruin my entire reputation.

"Oh, stop it, I'm just teasing you," he said, standing up and crossing over to me. He pulled my hands from my face, yanking me to my feet and into his arms. "I'm happy for you, Bells. You deserve it, whatever's going on to make you so happy. I just hope he's good enough for you. "

"He might be too good," I murmured before pulling away.

"No such thing, Bells," he said, squeezing me tighter.

I stepped away, clearing my throat, not wanting the doubts and indecision to take hold once again. I had a job to do. "Okay, enough with this crap. We need to go. Get your game face on, Uley."

"Aye aye captain," he laughed, holding the door open for me.

**oOo**

The final meeting between Leah and Sam went smoothly. Much more smoothly than any of us could have ever anticipated, given the tension between them at the beginning of the process. We clipped through the details of the settlement agreement, pausing at each point to get Sam's and Leah's approval before moving on.

The entire process took about forty-five minutes, which was kind of surreal considering I'd uprooted my entire life for the sixty-something days it had taken to get us to this point.

We only had one last hurdle through which to jump, and it was only a matter of formality. We'd have to go before the judge and sign the official papers the following morning. Then we'd be done. Sam and Leah would be officially divorced, free to go their separate ways.

And so would I.

I just didn't know what that meant.

Jasper and I watched Sam and Leah walk out of the office together, making plans to meet up at the house later to have dinner with their kids. When the door closed, Jasper's arm snaked around my waist, pulling me to him. I lay my head on his chest, listening to the slow and steady beat of his heart.

"Come home with me?" he asked quietly.

"Not tonight," I whispered, though it hurt me. "I need... some time."

He swallowed hard, but nodded, bending to kiss me gently. "I'll be here whenever you're ready, Bella."

And I knew he would. I just didn't know if I would ever _be_ ready.

**JPOV **

I returned home and sat in my living room, my eyes focused on the empty space between my ceiling fan and the coffee table. My heart was whirring at what seemed like three hundred beats per minute, nearly painful in its intensity, and I was filled with anxiety I couldn't shake.

_"Not tonight. I need some time." _

_"I'll be here whenever you're ready, Bella,"_ I'd said.

It was too much.

_I _was too much.

I'd freaked her out, pushed her away this morning.

My house was silent, my head filled with a million thoughts as they flew haphazardly through my mind, and as I began to clench and unclench my fists rhythmically, I knew I needed to do something. To focus on something else.

But I couldn't.

This was make or break time, and I wondered if Bella wholly understood that if she denied me this, if she denied _us_ this, I wasn't sure how I could cope.

I loved her, and I knew that, in some way, she loved me. I just _knew_ she did. And when I woke up with her bare form warm and inviting and so close to mine, I just... had to show her. I had to remind her that what we have is important, that it was my truth. My desperation to prove this to her, once and for all, was only made more powerful by the knowledge that our time was limited. The case was coming to a close, and I had no idea what her plans were, not really.

I _had_ to show her.

My mind kept replaying it and, in hindsight, what we'd shared this morning had been incredible and intense.

But had it been too much?

I sighed and stood up, walked to my room and then to my bathroom and began to strip. Suddenly, I felt as though what I needed was a hot shower, something to cleanse me, at least outwardly.

There was no changing my innermost feelings, after all. Bella resided at the forefront of every one.

I dropped my clothes at my feet and stepped into the nearly scalding flow of water, moaning lowly as the heat made its way through my skin. It felt good and relaxing. I focused on the mundane tasks of my shower: washcloth, soap, skin, shampoo, rinse. Once I was done, I stood there, the water flowing down my back, and pressed my hands into my forehead, allowing my paranoia to cover me again. It wrapped around me like a winter coat, heavy and unyielding, and I exhaled loudly as I stepped out of the tub.

Like I had a few weeks ago, I stood in front of my mirror and stared at myself through the fog there.

I had to resign myself to the fact that whatever happened would happen. I wanted-no, _needed_- Bella. I thought she needed me, as well. Since Leah had given up her fight, it seemed my sweet Bella had, too, and the vulnerability she'd allowed me to see had only made me love her more.

But yet, I waited, rife with uncertainty.

_"No one else will make you feel like this," _I'd said. _"No one else." _

I wondered if she knew the same logic applied to me regarding her.

**oOo**

I managed to find enough to keep me busy for the remainder of my afternoon and evening. File organization took up a large portion of the time, and then I made dinner for myself.

At 8:06, my cell phone rang.

"Bella," I breathed into the line.

"Jasper," she returned, her voice barely a whisper. "Can I come over?"

There wasn't a second of thought involved in my response. "Of course, Bella. I'm here."

"Okay, then. I'll be there in a few," she said, her voice still soft.

"I'll be waiting."

As I hung up, I realized that, in our small conversation, we had encompassed our relationship, as a whole. I waited. She was uncertain. But we wanted some semblance of closeness; that much was undeniable.

I stood at my kitchen window, remembering her legs around my waist just a few mornings prior. My fingers were running along the edge of the counter when it started raining. It wasn't a slow storm; it had come from nowhere, and water was pounding at my window, its rhythmic beating interrupted randomly by a clap of thunder.

I moved then, walking across my house to the guest bathroom. I didn't have an umbrella so a towel would have to work.

I stepped outside a few moments later, the rain making the evening seem darker somehow, though not necessarily foreboding. I felt a strange sense of quiet overwhelm me, and realized that tonight was it. I'd known that all day, but as Bella's rental car turned onto my street, the idea settled into my chest.

She parked and I rushed out to the side of her car, the heavy rain instantly mating my hair to my forehead, and held the towel over her as she got out, slammed the door, and rushed with me to my porch.

"I won't melt, Jasper, I promise. That was unnecessary, but thank you." Her smile was soft as she continued, "I should have expected it though, Southern gentleman that you are."

I smirked at her, my eyes slipping past her to stare into my yard for a second. "Not all the time, Bella."

"Enough of it to count, then," she replied.

I shrugged and my smirk turned into a smile. "Let's get inside," I said, and began to run the towel over my face and shoulders. She took her shoes off, and I led her into my living room and she took a seat before grabbing the remote to turn the stereo on. "I'll be back," I advised, and slipped away to my bedroom to grab a dry shirt. I yanked the wet one off and went back to the living room. "Can I get you anything?" I asked, pulling the shirt over my head.

I could feel her eyes on me, burning tracks into my skin as she stared at me, and when I was dressed again and took a real look at her, I realized she was nervous. Tense. Bella was scratching at the back of her neck with regularity, and when she didn't think I noticed, she was biting at her lip lightly.

"A coke?" she asked.

I brought her a drink and took a seat next to her on my couch.

The room was silent, and I was annoyed.

There was no need for this awkwardness. We were adults, damn it. We knew what we were getting into, and I wanted to scream, to allow the thoughts that were swimming around within me-connecting my mind and heart to fly-but something kept me from it.

Bella shook her head and sighed loudly before placing her can on my coffee table. She drummed her first three fingers there for a moment before turning to me and pulling herself up so that she was sitting on one of her feet.

Her coffee-colored irises focused on mine and I swallowed hard.

This was it.

This was _it_.

I had no idea what to expect, but I shoved away the anxiety that was threatening to wrap around me again. I needed to be fully _here_, in this moment, regardless of what happened.

She cleared her throat and clasped her hands in her lap.

I wanted her to touch me. I wanted to reach out and take her hand.

But I didn't.

"I've...been doing some research," she began. I nodded. "Jasper, I... _fuck_. Goddamn it."

I furrowed my brow and opened my mouth to speak, but she covered her face with her hands, growled, and then shushed me. "No. This isn't hard. I just need to stop being a fucking pussy and do it."

"Bella? I don't..."

"Shh. Hold on, okay?" I watched as she pursed her lips and then moved toward me, finally sitting in my lap so that she was straddling me. Bella wrapped her arms around me and sighed, her breath ghosting over my throat as she brushed her lips along my jaw.

"Bella?" My chest was tight, and my breathing was coming in shallow gasps. I wanted to reach for her, to graze my fingertips along her thigh, to touch her in any capacity, but I was frozen. I couldn't make myself move; my uncertainty washed over me repeatedly, reminding me that she could crush me in one word.

"Shhh," she said again, and pressed her finger to my lips.

A moment passed before she changed my world completely.

"I love you, Jasper Whitlock," she whispered.

And then the floodgates opened.

"Oh, god. _Bella._ Bella, I love you. I love you." I turned my face to hers and capturing her lips with mine. My relief was so intense, I was overwhelmed. It felt as though I was out of control, unable to focus on one thing. I just needed her, needed to touch her, to feel her. She kissed me, her hands knotted gently in my wet hair, and I felt her smile.

"I know you do," she said. "I think I've always known."

I tightened my embrace, pulling her slender frame against mine, holding her firmly to me. Words were insufficient and all of the unknowns didn't matter. She loved me. I loved her. We could figure this out.

I heard her inhale loudly as she pushed against my chest, sitting up straight.

"I've been doing some research," she said. "How do you feel about Austin?"

I felt a smile pull one side of my lips upward.

"Well, shug, am I lucky enough that Austin has you?"

Her returning smile was gorgeous, ear-to-ear, and she nodded. "Conceivably, yes."

"Then I am pro-Austin, baby," I replied.

She kissed me again, and I couldn't help myself. A laugh welled up in my chest, and when we parted, I let it go, let the worries go, let the stress I'd been feeling about what would happen with us fully dissipate.

"Can I stay?" she asked softly.

"You never have to ask that, Bella." She stood up, and I stretched my legs out, contouring them along the back of my couch, and she quickly extended her body next to mine, snuggling up against my chest.

We talked and kissed for the rest of the night. She revealed that she'd spent the entire afternoon and early part of the evening figuring out exactly what it was that she wanted. She had to really think about James and what had happened with him, and in finally making herself analyze that situation, she realized that her feelings for me were stronger and more real than they'd ever been for him. She told me she wanted to move to be with me, but that living in Blessing was too different from everything she was used to; she wanted to live in a city that more closely resembled home. Bella told me that if we were going to make it, she needed to be honest with me. "I want you to work somewhere that will allow your talent to grow, a place where you can push yourself to be better, Jasper," she said. She'd spoken vaguely of that when we'd had dinner before our kiss at her door, but for her to be that honest with me made my chest tighten. She had really, truly considered our future. I let her know that I understood that, wholly, but that if we moved, I would still want to be reasonably close to my grandparents. She smiled. "I had a feeling you'd say that," she said, and then told me that when she began poking around online, she looked up Austin, and thought it would be a good compromise. It only put me about three hours from my grandparents and was much more metropolitan than Blessing. Getting a license to practice permanently in Texas would be easy enough.

"You've thought of everything, it seems," I said softly.

She shrugged against me and gently placed her fingers on my chin, pressing her thumb against my bottom lip as she turned me to face her. "I just want you, Jasper. You."

"I love you," I softly replied, and then her lips were on mine again.

We kissed and held each other until we passed out, finally allowing the rain's rhythm to lull us to sleep.

* * *

_Just the epi left now, guys!_

_Hope you've enjoyed Lawsper as much as we have. Leave him some love, if you please. :)_


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